Legacy
by Gamine
Summary: Finished! Please read and review. Jason, Billy, and Tommy thought things would quiet down after the Rangers...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
  
  
Legacy  
  
  
  
"I gotta admit, this was a great idea of yours, Bill," Jason Scott sighed happily as he scanned the scenery around him. "This is a beautiful place, and I can sure use the time off."  
  
His friend laughed. "You and me both, Jase. You holding up okay?" William Cranston, better known to his friends as Billy, gave his dark haired friend an assessing look from his intelligent blue eyes. "You look a bit ragged."  
  
Jason shrugged. "I'm a little tired, I guess. Alpha says I'm not likely to ever feel the way I used to, so I guess I have to find a new standard to judge by. But I'm okay."  
  
Billy watched him for a while, then smiled. "Keep me posted, then. Which room do you want this time?"  
  
"The loft, man, the loft. I want that skylight," Jason cheerfully shouldered his backpack and jogged up the short flight of steps to the cabin porch.  
  
Billy chuckled to himself and followed his friend. This had been a good idea, bringing Jason up to "Uncle" Jack's resort as a part of his recuperation from his recent debilitation. He knew how Jason felt, having given up so much for the greater good. In fact, nobody knew better.  
  
At first, when Billy himself had tried and failed to receive the Gold Ranger powers from Trey, he'd thought nothing would be worse than the isolation he'd felt. No longer a member of the team, not really; and when Jason, an original Ranger like himself, took the powers instead, it had been worse in a way. He hadn't resented Jason, not personally. That wasn't it at all. It was just that – Jason had willingly given up his powers, had moved on, while Billy had chosen to stay with the team, in whatever capacity he could. Then to see Jase take almost reluctantly something he, Billy, would have given his right arm for, something he'd thought he'd earned…well, to put it simply, it just wasn't fair. That was one of the reasons he'd gone to Aquitar. Running away. Cestria had made him see that, and so he'd returned, again to fight for good however he could. And it had been good to be back, to rekindle his friendship with Jason, one that had spanned most of their lives.  
  
And then Trey had returned; and it had cost more than any of them had dreamed for Jason to give up the Gold powers. He had so nearly died; Billy suppressed a shiver at the memory, thanking God that his friend was still with them, that Billy'd been here instead of on a distant planet when one of his oldest friends had faced the ultimate enemy and won. But at a price. The muscular, energetic martial artist with the ready smile and the ladykilling ways had been replaced. Jason had become introspective, almost melancholy. Physically he was weaker, smaller, paler; a shadow of his former self, and not likely to ever recover, not fully. So Billy took it as his personal mission to see that Jason understood the debt his friends owed him, to believe in his value, to see that he was loved, and honored for his sacrifice. All things Billy had not felt with his own loss. All things he vowed his friend would always know.  
  
So here they were, at his uncle's rustic resort in the mountains, occupying the best cabin for the weekend. A piercing whistle interrupted Billy's reverie.  
  
"Bring the groceries in, bro, the ice cream's bound to be melting!"  
  
Billy chuckled again as he complied, glad to see Jason in such high spirits.  
  
****************  
  
Jason loved how dark the nights became in the mountains. Dark enough to rival deep space itself, and with nearly as many stars. He folded his arms behind his head and lay back on the futon mattress, enjoying his view of the night through the skylight. He'd been lucky enough to visit some of those worlds out there; Billy could probably point out which ones.  
  
Billy. He grinned to himself at the thought of his friend. Who would have predicted the closeness between them, the jock and the brain? And who would have believed the depth of the intellectual's compassion for the has-been hero?  
  
Jason gritted his teeth. He would not become maudlin, he would NOT. Every choice he had made freely, knowing the consequences. Well, almost all of the consequences…but the truth was that even had he known that taking on the Gold powers would debilitate him, would ultimately kill him, he still would have done so. There had been a void left in him when he'd given up his Red Ranger powers and gone to Switzerland; to fill that void, even for a short while, he would gladly have sacrificed more. To truly feel a hero once again, to know, in the depths of his soul, that he stood strong against the powers of darkness – to be back in the fight, one more time…  
  
Ah, well. He would miss it. Every day for the rest of his life. But he had known the Gold powers were never his to keep. He was just thankful he'd had them at all.  
  
And Billy understood. Out of all of them, Billy knew. Tommy was still fighting, still the incarnation of Sir Lancelot he'd wanted to be, the new team by his side. Kim, Trini, Zack, Aisha…each had moved on, found happiness elsewhere, outside the confines of Angel Grove. Only Billy and Jason had somehow been left behind, were still struggling to make a place for themselves. Because only they had so completely defined themselves as Rangers, that when it was gone, they didn't know what was left.  
  
But they would find out, Jason thought confidently. They would find out. Together.  
  
He stretched painfully and rolled over, not seeing the streak of light that arced across the night sky.  
  
*****************  
  
"I deny you! I refuse you! Do you hear me? I WILL NOT DIE LIKE THIS!"  
  
Billy shot out of bed, the panicked voice from his dream still echoing in his mind. He was drenched in sweat. Even his blond hair was stuck damply to his scalp. The bedclothes were everywhere but on the bed, testifying mutely to his unconscious thrashing.  
  
He rubbed both hands over his face, trying to remember what had terrified him so. There had been someone…someone he knew, and yet didn't know…and…she?…was in darkness, and alone…  
  
"I AM GUARDIAN, AND I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" Billy nearly jumped out of his skin. That hadn't come from his mind, it was coming from – Jason! He raced for the ladder to the loft and scrambled up to his friend.  
  
The former Red Ranger was huddled in the corner of the room in a fetal position, tears streaming from unseeing eyes, shivering. Billy quickly flipped on the lights and ran to Jason, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, hard. "Jase! Wake up! Jason!"  
  
Dark eyes slowly raised to meet his, and then, unbelievably, Billy felt himself pulled back into the oppressive blackness of what he suddenly recognized as the same nightmare he'd just awoken from.  
  
Someone lay huddled in the darkness; he could hear muffled sobbing, and fingers scrabbling futilely on the floor. Instinctively he ran toward the sound and pulled the person – woman? – toward his body, cradling her, murmuring words of comfort. "I'm here, it'll be okay. You're not alone anymore…" and then he was back in the loft, staring at Jason's face.  
  
"Billy? What –?" Confused, Jason looked around the room and back at his friend. "Man, that was one heavy nightmare…I'm sorry I woke you up, bro."  
  
"You – you didn't." Shaken, Billy stood. "What the hell just happened here?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Jason shook his head as though to clear it. "I feel like I've been through a couple rounds with one of Mondo's monsters." He looked more closely at his friend. "Bill? You okay?"  
  
"Something weird is going on, Jase." Billy's intelligent blue eyes narrowed. "Do you remember anything about your nightmare?"  
  
"Yeah, some. It was dark, I mean beyond dark, and someone was trapped there…and then somehow it was me, and I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and I knew I was going to die there, alone…" his voice drifted off as he shivered, pulling the blanket closer. "Man, I'll tell you, I do not want to feel like that ever again." He glanced up at Billy. "What? What is it?"  
  
"I had the same nightmare, Jase, only it wasn't me trapped. It was someone I wanted to help, but I couldn't get to them, and they were screaming…and then I woke up, and heard you, so I came up here. You were huddled here in the corner, like a lost soul, and I grabbed you to try and wake you up, and then…then it got really weird."  
  
"Weird how?"  
  
"I felt like…I don't know, like I got sucked into the nightmare. Suddenly it was dark again, like in my dream, and like you described, and there was someone trapped, but I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. So I ran to her – I think it was a woman – and I tried to help, but then suddenly I was back. Something's wrong here."  
  
Jason stood and tossed the blanket to the futon. "You think this means something?"  
  
The blond man gave a short nod, deep in thought. "Unless this sort of psychic phenomenon happens to you regularly and you forgot to mention it."  
  
Jason made a quick decision and began stuffing his clothes in his backpack. Billy raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Jason?" Their eyes met briefly, and Billy nodded again, this time in agreement. "Zordon."  
  
*****************  
  
Minutes later Billy's car sped away from the cabin. After a time Jason broke the silence. "You think this is a side effect of giving up the Gold powers?"  
  
"Truthfully I don't know what the hell it is, but it's weird, and Zordon is our local authority on all things weird, so…" Billy shrugged. "Maybe somebody is really in trouble."  
  
"Or I'm predicting the future…"  
  
"Or you ate too much pizza." Billy laughed, shattering the building tension. "In any case, we'll know soon enough. I'm just sorry I didn't bring my old communicator; we could have just teleported."  
  
"Man, I always hated that. Made me sick to my stomach." Jason chuckled.  
  
Billy shot a side glance at his friend. "You look awful, Jase. Catch some Z's; I'll let you know when we're there."  
  
The hours seemed to drag by, but finally Billy caught sight of a familiar bluff, deep in the desert, and flipped on his radio, tuning it to a frequency far below normal. "Zordon? Alpha? It's Billy."  
  
"Billy? Ay-yi-yi!" came the familiar voice of the small robot. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Alpha, Jason and I experienced an extraordinary phenomenon last night, and I need to discuss it with Zordon. Can you drop the shield?"  
  
"Dropping the shield now, Billy. Come on ahead; but you may have to wait a bit to see Zordon. He's occupied at the moment."  
  
Jason woke in time to catch the end of the transmission. "It's okay, we'll wait."  
  
Before them, where there had been only arid desert, now rose the Command Center in all its technological majesty; the former Rangers smiled involuntarily and glanced at each other.  
  
"Gotta admit, it is cool," sighed Jason as they pulled into the docking bay.  
  
********************  
  
"Billy! Jason! It is good to see you," said Alpha as he hurried to greet them. "I have told Zordon you are here. He may yet be awhile. Did you drive all night?"  
  
"Most of it," Billy admitted. "Jason got some sleep, though."  
  
Alpha beeped thoughtfully. "Perhaps the best thing to do is to show you to the guest quarters and let you nap for a few hours. I don't know when Zordon will be available."  
  
"Guest quarters?" said Jason in surprise. "There are guest quarters?"  
  
"Don't look at me," shrugged Billy. "I'm sure there are all kinds of areas of the Command Center we know nothing about. And I could use a nap, Alpha."  
  
The little robot led the way through a maze of corridors and finally stopped at a pair of unfamiliar doors. "There is a communicator beside each door; call me when you awaken. Sleep well, Rangers."  
  
"Alpha?" Jason's deep voice stopped the drone as he bustled away. "We're not Rangers anymore."  
  
"You are to me," came the cheery electronic reply. "Good night." 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
Legacy, part 2  
  
A low, but insistent, beeping noise woke Billy from a sound sleep. "Yeah," he croaked, clearing his throat. "I'm up." The door slid open as he swung his long legs to the floor and sat up, nodding at the agitated little robot standing there. "Is Zordon able to talk to us now?"  
  
"He asked me to come get you," said Alpha. "I've already awakened Jason and – oh, good," as the original Red Ranger joined them, shrugging on a shirt. "Sorry to wake you so soon. I've never seen Zordon quite like this and – " he fell silent, and refused to elaborate. Billy and Jason exchanged a look.  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser," muttered Billy under his breath as they entered the main chamber.  
  
************  
  
  
  
"Billy, Jason, it is good to see you. Alpha tells me you have had some sort of experience that needs my attention?" boomed Zordon from his time warp.  
  
"I'm not sure, Zordon; but it was pretty disturbing, and we thought you might have some ideas about it," began Billy, and he took turns with Jason describing their shared dream and the ensuing incident in the loft.  
  
Zordon was silent for a time after they had finished, then he spoke in the deliberate tone that always made Billy feel as though the Eltaran was hiding something.  
  
"You were right to think I might know something of this," he began. "But it is not my place to enlighten you." The two former Rangers began to protest, but Zordon shook his head slowly. "No. You need to hear the answers you seek from another."  
  
"Who? Who else can we talk to?" Billy asked angrily. "Why won't you help us? If there's something wrong with Jason, or with me –"  
  
"It is time for you to know the truth. What has been done has been for your protection. And time runs short."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jason clenched his fists, fighting to keep his temper. "Stop talking in riddles, Zordon."  
  
Zordon sighed, heavily, closing his eyes. "I can put this off no longer." He opened them again and fixed the two men before him with an intense gaze. A white light bathed the chamber, and from it stepped a familiar figure.  
  
"D-dad?" Billy stuttered. "I don't –"  
  
"Mr. Cranston, how did you –" Jason was as stunned as his friend.  
  
Peter Cranston inclined his head toward the time warp, where Zordon regarded him worriedly. "Zordon…I saw the pod. I wondered if you might be contacting me tonight. Have you told them?"  
  
"I have said nothing. It is your story to tell, P'tyr. But the Guardian has little time, and if that flame is snuffed out…"  
  
Billy's father turned and looked at the two young men, smiling sadly. "You're not boys anymore, are you? It's time for you to know the truth." He sighed and pulled an unfamiliar device from his pocket and consulted it. "And to face your destiny."  
  
"Dad, you're scaring me," Billy said, his voice reflecting his bewilderment. "What's this all about? Why did Zordon call you P'tyr? And how long have you known about –" his gesture included the Power Chamber, Zordon, and Alpha, "all this?"  
  
"That the two of you were Power Rangers? From the beginning."  
  
Jason cleared his throat. "Why didn't you ever mention it? And how did you know?"  
  
The older man gave a smile that was the image of his son's. "I'll answer the second question first. Who do you think maintained this place before you arrived on the scene?"  
  
"Alpha?" Billy's voice was a croak.  
  
His father chuckled. "And who do you think built him?"  
  
"Oh, man," Jason breathed. "You did."  
  
Peter nodded. "Yep. I kept those Zords in fighting trim, too, for nine years, from when we first arrived until your mother died, Billy."  
  
"A-arrived? Do I even want to know what you mean?" Blue eyes stared into their mirror image. "Dad, you're not going to tell me we're –"  
  
"I am sorry to interrupt, P'tyr, but Guardian's vital signs grow weaker. There is no time left. You must act now or the girl will die, and Guardian will be destroyed."  
  
1  
  
2 "Sorry, Jason, Billy. I'll explain everything later; right now I need you to come with me." Peter Cranston shepherded the two younger men into the infirmary, where they stood stock still in surprise.  
  
On one of the examination tables in the center of the room lay an exquisite young woman. Her features were delicately drawn, yet there was a strength to the line of her jaw that was unexpectedly appealing. Full lips, slightly parted as she breathed gently; fine cheekbones; her eyes were closed, an abundance of dusky lashes laying gently against her cheeks. Her face reminded the friends of someone, but neither was able to put their finger on whom. Her hair was thick and long beyond belief, falling in night-dark waves from the table to brush the floor. She was dressed in some kind of silvery, form-fitting garment, covering her from the neck to her feet.  
  
"Who is she?" Jason whispered. "Is this the Guardian you mentioned?"  
  
Peter Cranston nodded, gravely surveying the girl's still form. "She is Guardian, yes; but she is more than that, Jason. She is your sister." 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 3  
  
  
  
"My what?" Jason stared at the older man in shock. "I-I have a –?"  
  
Zordon's basso profundo interrupted him. "Time is of the essence, P'tyr, Rangers. Guardian is dying, and the known worlds will feel the wrath of So'Vran if we fail to save her."  
  
"I am Guardian, and I will not be defeated…" muttered Billy.  
  
Peter looked at him, surprised. "What did you say?"  
  
His son raised his gaze from the girl on the table. "I heard it in my dream last night. She was angry. First she cried out, 'I deny you, I refuse you, I will not die like this,' and then she shouted, 'I am Guardian, and I will not be defeated.' She…she is fighting…whatever it is."  
  
Zordon's countenance lightened perceptibly. "That, at least, is good news. You are much like your mother, Billy, much more than your father or I had thought."  
  
"Someday, somebody is going to say something to me and it will make sense," Jason muttered irritably.  
  
Peter Cranston's voice cut across his thoughts. "Did she speak to you as well, Jason?"  
  
The dark-haired youth shook his head slowly. "No, in my dream she – somehow – became me. It was me shouting out, but I didn't know what I meant."  
  
Zordon raised his brows. "You are more closely linked than we had anticipated. There is hope, then…but Jason will not be able to reach her without risking himself."  
  
"It is a job for Sentinel, then." Peter grabbed his son in a fierce hug, surprising him. "Zordon, there's got to be another way. If he isn't strong enough…I can't lose him too."  
  
"We knew this was a possibility, P'tyr; it is why I chose him to be a Ranger, why I chose them both. I hoped their training might aid them if So'Vran decided to pursue his conquest of the known worlds. The constraints have kept So'Vran from finding them, but they have kept us from knowing the extent of their power as well. This attack on Guardian…the sands of time have run out."  
  
Peter gave Billy a final squeeze and dropped his arms, crossing to a control panel in the wall, his jaw set. "And what if he is less his mother's son, and more mine?"  
  
"I do not know, P'tyr. I do not know."  
  
"Could someone please talk as though I am in the room?" asked Billy quietly. "Her life signs are failing. Whatever it is I need to do to save this Guardian, I should probably get started."  
  
Peter looked at his son for a long time, then gave a short nod. "In a nutshell, then: there is a small constraining device at the base of your brain; I am going to transport it out. If, as we hope, you have inherited your mother's ability, you will be able to psychically reach Guardian where she is trapped, and sustain her spiritual strength until I can remove the mechanisms implanted throughout her body which are not only killing her, but slowly destroying the Guardian energy as well. If she dies like this, So'Vran will surely overrun the known worlds and destroy us all. Got it?"  
  
"Find Guardian, keep her strong, save the universe. Got it." Billy gave his father a ghost of a grin. "Ready."  
  
A light enveloped the handsome blond youth, whose body jerked and arched, his head dropping back, eyes closed. A tiny, glistening device appeared on the pad by Peter Cranston's elbow as the light around Billy dimmed, and his eyes snapped open.  
  
Jason studied his friend. Amazingly, Billy seemed to have gained a couple of inches, both in height and in brawn. He'd been tall and fairly buff before; now his clothes were suddenly smaller, tighter, his shirt pulling across an abruptly bulky chest, cutting into newly muscled arms, the thighs of his jeans nearly giving at the seams. And his eyes…were those eyes somehow bluer, more intense? There was little time to speculate as Billy crossed determinedly to the unconscious form of the girl on the examination table and took her hand in both of his, his entire being, it seemed, focused on her face.  
  
After a moment of silence, Peter Cranston's agile fingers began to fly over the console beside him, and Zordon spoke to Jason.  
  
"There is little we can do here now, Jason. Come to the main chamber; there is something I think you will find of interest there."  
  
Jason returned to the main chamber to find Zordon's ghostly image waiting for him. In the center of the room, on a raised platform, lay several glasslike rods, neon yellow in hue, and a small device.  
  
"These were in the pod with your sister. I believe they will answer your questions far better than I can."  
  
Jason hesitated for a moment, then crossed to the platform and inserted the rods into several small holes in the device, which began to hum softly. Suddenly a holographic image appeared before him; a man, tall, brawny, bearded, with dark eyes and hair, and features uncannily similar to Jason's own. He wore golden armor that had seen better days, and was leaning on a long sword which glowed softly.  
  
"Father…" Jason breathed, and then the image began to speak.  
  
"Zordon, P'tyr Krann," it said, smiling sadly. "That you have found this transmitter means that my daughter is in your hands, and safe, I pray. I am grateful with all my heart that you have kept my son well and safe all these years. It is now time for him to take the reins of his destiny into his own hands; I know that you will have taught him as well as I myself could have done, and that he will make us proud." The image seemed to look at Jason then. "My name is Iannos K'vlir, my son; I am called Paladin. You know nothing of me or of our heritage, and I know but little about you. Zordon and P'tyr have managed to get some information about you to me through the years, knowing how hungry I would be for any word, any fleeting image.  
  
"I know that you are named Jason Lee Scott, and that the parents who adopted and raised you were good, kind people, carefully chosen by P'Tyr to keep you safe. I mourn with you their untimely passing. I am proud of your strong moral character, of your inner strength, of your innate humanity and your sense of honor; these things will hold you steady on your course, for a difficult trial is about to begin.  
  
"But before I go on, my dear Jason, let me say this above all else: you are and have always been my beloved son, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, and I have and always will love you until the end of my days, and, spirits willing, beyond. Never doubt that, not for a moment. My soul cried out in agony when I sent you away from me, and I have bled within ever since. I beg you to believe that this choice was the worst your mother and I have ever had to face; but she died knowing that at least one of her children was safe and out of the reach of So'Vran's evil tyranny."  
  
Jason hastily wiped hot tears from his eyes, eager to hear the rest, however painful.  
  
"Our world, Xerya, lies separated from Earth beyond a dimensional barrier, erected centuries ago by the Eltaran council, to shield the known worlds from the rise of the evil known as So'Vran, who rules Xerya with an iron fist. Many among us resist his reign, living underground, trying to subvert his rule. Your mother, Merys, and I, and P'tyr Krann and his wife Nelin, were some of these. Of that group, I am all that is left now.  
  
"Our people are similar to those of Earth in many ways, though there are some individuals who are significantly different. P'tyr's wife, Nelin, was one of these, as am I, as was your mother. In those days Nelin was Sentinel, and it was in that capacity that she foretold that you must be sent away or die at So'Vran's hands. You were still in Merys' belly then; we had a little time, we thought, and we began to make plans for your safety. Weeks later Nelin knew that she, too, was with child and that her child, paired with ours, might hold the key to So'Vran's ultimate defeat. It was almost certain that So'Vran would know this as well. Nelin and P'tyr decided then that they would leave Xerya to keep you and their son safe. P'tyr's great intellect enabled him to find a way to pierce the dimensional barrier which surrounds our world, keeping So'Vran in check.  
  
"But we could not leave with them. Nelin was indeed Sentinel, and her first obligation was to the future. But Merys and I – Merys was Guardian than, and a strong one; she could not abandon her people anymore than I could. I was – I am – Paladin, as I hope you may someday be. So though it broke our hearts, when you were born we said goodbye to you, and to our dearest friends.  
  
"Merys told me later that Nelin had revealed more of our future to her, and that we would have another child, who would be Guardian and would fight by my side, and it was for this that she remained with me. I did not realize when she spoke that there would be but one Guardian, that Merys knew she would die in battle soon after the child was born.  
  
"Your sister, Taia, was my greatest blessing then, my only tie to Merys, though I searched for a way to send her after you, to protect her as I had protected you. But without Guardian, the resistance faltered, and we had no resources to create another pod for many years. Indeed, I believed us lost; then Taia's powers as Guardian asserted themselves, and she became not just my blessing but that of all Xerya. By the spirits, she is powerful! Xerya has never before seen – but time grows short. I must press on.  
  
"In our bloodlines lie ties to a sentient power that can, and must, be used to fight So'Vran's evil conquest, and others like him. P'tyr found a way to bury yours deep within your mind so that So'Vran could not use it to find you; I do not know, therefore, how powerful you may be, or what must be done to awaken your abilities. You must discover this for yourself.  
  
The image rubbed a weary hand over his face and turned to face Zordon's time warp chamber. "Zordon, we have been betrayed, and I do not yet know the extent of the treachery, nor yet who is responsible. My efforts to protect Guardian have been in vain; somehow So'Vran managed to capture her and make her as you see her now. By all that's holy, when I get my hands on the traitor…So'Vran had her for more than a month, Zordon. Can you imagine what she must have…?" Iannos' deep voice trailed off on a sob; then he gathered himself and continued. "Though I was able to finally rescue her, we do not know how to undo whatever it is So'Vran has done. Therefore I have sent her to you and P'tyr, and I pray P'tyr's intellect will penetrate this mystery before she dies. I fear that this may bring the wrath of So'Vran on you all; but I could do no less. She is Guardian; more than that she is my dearest daughter. Save her, I beg you. Spirits bless you all." The image flickered out.  
  
Jason stood up, fury and frustration warring on his face, and began to pace silently.  
  
"Jason? Tell me what troubles you." Zordon's voice was soft, for him.  
  
The former Red and Gold ranger looked at the time warp chamber, his dark eyes unfathomable. "Even if I understood all of that, which I did not, I can't help him, Zordon. You know that. I just have to hope my sister is strong enough for both of us."  
  
"You are mistaken, Jason. The possibility of your power is very real. You must not dismiss it."  
  
"Look at me!" Jason exploded. "I'm maybe half the man I used to be. Losing the Gold powers nearly killed me; I can barely get up in the morning. I can't take on some interdimensional goon! I'm not even going to live out the year!"  
  
"Jason –"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, but this is a lot to digest, okay?"  
  
"I understand. Perhaps you should rest now. I will wake you as soon as there is any change in your sister's condition." Zordon summoned the little robot. "Alpha, take Jason back to the guest chambers and let him get some sleep." 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Alert: angst ahead, and some pre-friskiness.  
  
Legacy, part 4  
  
Billy found himself again in the place of darkness. "Guardian, are you there?" he said, his voice echoing oddly. A fragile gasp came from the depths. "Can you hear me? Guardian!"  
  
"You…" a voice said faintly. "I know you, you helped me before… oh, no, not you…not this…I can't let you…"  
  
"Where are you? Talk to me and I will find you," Billy moved forward tentatively.  
  
"You must risk no more," her voice seemed stronger. "I can feel your courage, your heart; though it gives me strength, I do not wish for you to die. I beg you, leave me, leave this place. So'Vran may have destroyed me; I'll not let him have you too."  
  
"So'Vran has won nothing yet, and I'll be damned if I let him start with you." There was…something…building within him, but he ignored it, continuing his search. Billy brushed against something, and instinctively wrapped his arms around it.  
  
She moved within his grasp, turning to face him, though they could not see each other. He felt hands brush his face. "Why do you do this for me? Who are you?"  
  
The darkness began to lift; belatedly, and much to his astonishment, Billy realized that he was the light source. His body began to glow softly. The girl struggled in his arms, trying to shield herself from the light, but her held her firm. "Draw strength from me, Guardian. I have enough."  
  
"I cannot," she cried. "I have lost too much, have borne too much. I cannot do what you ask of me!"  
  
"You must, or you will die," he pleaded.  
  
"Then I shall die; it is a small price. You shall not bear the brunt of my failure." Her eyes were dark, like Jason's; they searched his face wildly, then turned away as she struggled.  
  
"What will Xerya do without her Guardian? How can you abandon her?"  
  
She went still for a moment; Billy could feel the tremors wracking her slender body. "Abandon her? I have failed her! Another Guardian will rise; one who will not fail."  
  
Billy gritted his teeth. "How can you speak of failure? You've done nothing wrong. Let me help you, please…"  
  
"I am no longer worthy to be Guardian. I allowed So'Vran to capture me, to hold me, to destroy me! Can you not hear his call? It tears at me, even now – and I must answer him." With a mighty push, the girl broke Billy's hold and ran toward the receding blackness, turning back once to look at him, tears in her dark eyes. "You gave me strength, strength enough to die; I am grateful to you. At least I shall never serve him…" then everything went white, and Billy found himself in the infirmary as he collapsed to the floor.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!" he cried, struggling with his father, who tried to hold him away from the girl's still body.  
  
"Zordon!" Peter shouted over the comlink, still fighting Billy, "we're losing her!" At his words, Jason came skidding into the room, wild-eyed. The lights on the diagnostic screen began to dim.  
  
"No, Taia, hang on! Please," cried Jason. "You're all I have now! TAIA!"  
  
Billy reached for her, tearing out of his father's grasp. "LET ME GO TO HER! I AM—" he paused, confused, looking at his father, with eyes blazing bluer than ever before.  
  
Peter hesitated, disbelieving, reaching out a tentative hand; then he whispered, "Go on, son…you are…  
  
Something in Billy's heart burst free, and he knew, suddenly, who he was. "I am Sentinel," he whispered, then shouted it in defiance to the darkness within Guardian. "Do you hear me, So'Vran? I AM SENTINEL, AND I DEFY YOU!"  
  
Jason and Peter watched in amazement, as bronze seemed to pour from within Billy to cover him until he appeared to be made of the gleaming liquid metal. Jason could feel the power coming off his friend in waves, as the bronze figure crossed to the body of the lifeless Guardian and took her firmly in his arms. "This time," he whispered in a voice that both was and was not Billy's, "I will not let you go."  
  
***************  
  
The darkness was back; Billy banished it in a blaze of light, gathering the form of the dying girl in his arms, curving his body around her own.  
  
"Look at me, Guardian. Taia, look at me," Billy grasped her exquisite face between his hands and forced her dark gaze to meet his own.  
  
"It – hurts," she moaned feebly, but she met his bright blue eyes, and something arced between them, holding them both in its grip.  
  
"I know," he felt her pain blaze through him too, and willingly took it on. "Just hold on to me. I won't let you go."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because…," something flickered in his blue gaze, and he felt his heart expand as the pain ebbed away. "Because I am Sentinel, and we are the future."  
  
***********  
  
"He's doing it," gritted Peter, staring at the readouts, willing them to rise, working furiously to locate and remove So'Vran's handiwork.  
  
"Come on, Billy," breathed Jason. "Save her."  
  
************  
  
They stood there, frozen, inches from each other, for what seemed like eternity; blue eyes boring into black, forcing his energy on her, into her, surrounding her, cradling her, caressing her, until the glow emanating from her matched his own.  
  
************  
  
"Thank God," muttered Peter, hugging a sobbing Jason to his chest. "He's done it, Jase. She'll be all right now, son."  
  
************  
  
"Thank you, Sentinel," she breathed, the vibration of her voice tickling his chest where her face pressed into it as Billy held her in a fierce embrace.  
  
"Anytime," a relieved chuckle rumbled through him. "You're all right?"  
  
"Tired," she smiled up at him, then looked at her glowing hand, and back to his handsome face. "Wonderful."  
  
The sensations between them coalesced then, into…something else, and his long fingers traced down the column of her throat. She made a low purring sound, pressing herself closer, and he felt his blood thundering through him.  
  
"Guardian," he whispered, every sense on overload, filled with the essence of her. She smiled back at him and he nearly keeled over. What was happening to him? "I want…" he whispered, not knowing what it was he wanted; only that he craved. "I need…"  
  
He stared at her, wide-eyed. It was almost as if…he were aroused, beyond anything he'd ever experienced before.  
  
"What…?" she said, pulling her head back to look at him, and Billy saw from the glazed look in her dark eyes that she was as affected as he.  
  
What is this... I feel... I...?" Emotions swirled within him, his body struggling to fight against them, his hands shaking, body shivering with the effort. "This isn't right," he bit out, talking more to himself than to her. "I have to stay in control. I can't take anything from you – I won't, no matter how badly I want to." Yet his warm hands skimmed lightly over her of their own volition, and the girl moaned softly, her slim hands cupping either side of his face when he tried to shy away. She held his fiery blue gaze steadily.  
  
"You hurt; tell me why…"  
  
"I'm not sure…I'll try." And then it was there, all his old pain and insecurity, like an infection, needing, suddenly, to be drained. "Too close," he breathed, meeting her gaze unwillingly but unable to look away. "This is too close; you're too—we're too intimate, like this. You'll see what I am, you'll know, and—and then you'll –"  
  
The girl shook her head, caressing his furrowed brow. "I see what you are, William. I know. And I'm still here."  
  
He said nothing, closing his eyes against the tide of despair that rolled across him.  
  
Warm lips brushed his trembling mouth. "Have you always been so alone?"  
  
"Yes…" It was barely a whisper, as a tear squeezed from his tightly shut eyes.  
  
"Has there been no-one to ease your burden?"  
  
"No…not…not really. I have friends," he choked, forcing himself to look at her, to meet that steady gaze that somehow wrapped around him like a lifeline. "I've been…intimate with women, a couple of times, when the loneliness got so bad I would have done almost anything to take the edge off. I never understood…why it only seemed to help for a moment. It's always been there, holding me apart from everyone, no matter what I tried to do. I thought—I thought it would always be that way, until I heard you in my dream. And even then, I woke up alone."  
  
"And now?" She gave him another whisper-light kiss, and he grasped her shoulders, hard; but she looked back at him fearlessly.  
  
"Why do you affect me like this?" Billy burst out angrily. "I don't know you!" His voice gentled as he looked at her. "But that's not true, is it?"  
  
"You are Sentinel now. You know the truth; you just need to trust it."  
  
He traced the pad of his thumb over her full lower lip. "You trust it, don't you?"  
  
"More than that, I trust you."  
  
Her words hit him like a fist in the gut. "Wh-what is this, between us? Tell me…"  
  
She shook her head, the glossy darkness of her hair rising and then settling about her. "I can only give you a name for it, William. It is called the Bloodsong. What it is you already feel. Choose to answer it, or do not; I will abide by your choice."  
  
Then, after all, he had a choice; Billy's fears abated somewhat, though there was still something he needed to understand. "And you? What happens to you if I refuse this Bloodsong?"  
  
She ran her open hands up his chest to twine around his neck. "In saving my life, my very being, you have given me all that you are, William. I know you. You have filled all of the empty places in me; you are a part of me now. I—I already sing the Bloodsong." She looked at him through dark lashes. "For me there will be no other. We are intimately connected, and shall always be so. I will never speak of it again if you do not wish it; but know that I belong to you." He did not move for a moment, and she smiled sadly, and tried to step away from him. "Let me go, then, if you do not want me. Your father has succeeded; I am free of the devices So'Vran placed within me. You have done well, Sentinel; but you must let me go, before…"  
  
His blue eyes blazed brightly. "Before what?"  
  
"Before my heart breaks," she whispered, pushing on his strong arms.  
  
"Taia." Billy held her closer and waited for her to look at him. "I told you, I will never let you go." His mouth met hers in a searing kiss before their selves mingled, each completing the other, and his spirit knew a shattering moment of utter joy; then everything went white, and he was being slapped into consciousness by his panicked father.  
  
"Billy! Billy, come back to me, boy! You did it, oh please, son, wake up! Billy!"  
  
At last Billy felt like himself enough to speak. "I'm here, I'm here, okay? Stop smacking me, Dad."  
  
Peter Cranston chuckled and helped his son stumble to a chair, as the bronze energy that had covered him seemed to drain away into his skin. "Your mother was always cranky after using her Sentinel energy, too. I'm – very proud of you, son."  
  
Billy opened his eyes and turned to the girl on the examining table. "Taia? Is –?"  
  
"Is that her name?" Peter answered, interested. "Her vital signs are strong; I managed to remove all of So'Vran's infernal devices. She needs rest now, but I think she'll be fine, eventually."  
  
"Thank God for that, anyhow," Jason said fervently, covering his sister's hand with his own large warm one.  
  
Peter Cranston placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your turn, Jason." The procedure was identical to the removal of Billy's constraint; Jason felt a slight tingling at the base of his skull, but no real discomfort. He looked down at his body hopefully, but no changes had occurred. Peter ran a diagnostic shield over him. "Your readings haven't altered much, but I am hopeful that will change, in time."  
  
"Is there a problem?"  
  
"Not to say problem, exactly. It's just that – I buried those powers of yours very deep, you know. And after your difficulties when losing the Gold Ranger powers – I'm not sure that just removing the constraint will be enough to revive them."  
  
"So I may never be Paladin, is that what you mean?" And I'm still going to die.  
  
Peter Cranston nodded. "That's about it, yes."  
  
Jason went very still for a moment, then gave him a small smile. "It's amazing how quickly you come to want something that you never had before, just because someone tells you that you never will." He chuckled bitterly. "It's okay, Mr. Cranston. I'll get over it. The main thing is that Taia is okay, and Billy too. He deserves to be Sentinel."  
  
Peter sighed. "I may be wrong, Jason. I hope I am."  
  
The dark-haired youth smiled at the older man. "Don't worry about it, Mr. C."  
  
"You boys should get some shut-eye. I'll sit with her for a while, until she wakes up, then put her in one of the guest quarters. That table probably isn't very comfortable."  
  
Jason slung a companionable arm around his exhausted friend's shoulders. "Come on, Bill; you can bunk with me." 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. After all the angst last chapter I decided to have some fun with our pal Billy before getting back to the story.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 5  
  
  
  
Billy was amazed at the level of utter exhaustion he'd reached; he couldn't even seem to see straight, bumping freely into walls and his friend, who tried to guide him as he shambled down the maze of corridors. And things seemed distorted; as though he were regarding them from a different perspective, from higher up. He felt like he was looking down on the top of Jason's head, and generally the former Red Ranger had an inch or so on him. Or maybe Jason was as tired as he was, and was slumping.  
  
"You want a shower? Or just bed?" Jason's deep voice interrupted Billy's fractured train of thought.  
  
"Shower, if you don't mind; and I assume there's a couch in your room like there was in mine. I'll take it for the night. You're too tall for it."  
  
Jason seemed to find the offer funny. "Nah, it's okay, bro. You can have the bed. You'll be more comfortable there."  
  
"I really don't mind."  
  
Jason laughed again. "You will. Do you want me to turn on the shower for you?"  
  
Billy nodded, yawning. "Yeah, thanks. I've got to get these contacts out before I go blind."  
  
Jason undressed to his briefs and slipped under a sheet on the couch, waiting for Billy to catch a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror with gleeful anticipation. The sound of the rushing water abated; he could hear the glass door slide open, allow some time for a towel, and rubbing the steam off the mirror...three...two...one...  
  
"JASE!"  
  
Chuckling, he jogged lightly to the bathroom door and opened it. "Yeah?"  
  
Billy was staring at himself in the mirror, disbelief all over his handsome features as he looked at his body. "What the hell happened to me?"  
  
Jason was still grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I guess your dad's constraint device dampened more than just the Sentinel power, and when he removed it…poof!"  
  
"But I'm—I'm—"  
  
"You're built, man. Tommy's gonna have a stroke when he sees you; they all will. Tell 'em you had a growth spurt or something."  
  
"Oh, sure, they'll believe that," Billy rolled his eyes. "None of my clothes are going to fit, either." He turned slightly to examine his newly muscular back and arms. "You know, I was rather proud of how fit I'd become, but I never thought I'd be this brawny. And – is it my imagination or am I taller?"  
  
"Yep, you're taller than me now."  
  
Billy absently rubbed his palm over the golden-brown hair that now covered his hard chest, then straightened and met Jason's eye in the mirror again. "Jase? I can see you clearly."  
  
"Great," replied his friend, mystified. "Wait, you mean you don't have your contacts in?"  
  
"Nope. I don't seem to need them anymore," Billy said gleefully, leaning his hips against the sink to study his eyes more carefully. "Is the color different? Brighter?"  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that too…what's the matter?"  
  
A strange look passed over Billy's face as he carefully stood up straight. "I…thought I felt…excuse me a second." The blond youth turned away from Jason and opened the front of the towel, looking down at himself. "Oh. My. God."  
  
Jason frowned. "What? What's the matter? Should I get your dad?"  
  
Billy made no reply, just cast a glance over his shoulder at Jason, stark incredulity in his bright blue eyes.  
  
"Bill, man, what is it? Are you okay?"  
  
"Jase," Billy's voice was hoarse, "you've, uh, seen me, right? Like in the showers at the gym?"  
  
Jason shrugged. "Yeah, I have. Why?"  
  
Billy silently dropped the towel and turned around to face his friend.  
  
"Holy crap," said Jason. "You – you're – talk about a growth spurt. Good Lord." He picked up the towel and handed it to Billy, beginning to laugh. "Put that away, will you? I'm gonna have nightmares as it is." He slipped into his makeshift bed, chuckling at his fiercely blushing friend.  
  
"But you don't look any different. Why?" Billy looked at his friend appraisingly.  
  
Jason paused, his thoughts suddenly serious. "Your dad thought it might take some time. I don't care about the growth spurt; I'm just hoping I'll be whole again." And that I might live a little longer, he thought to himself, then resolutely pushed the thought to the back of his mind – too late for Billy's new abilities.  
  
Billy sobered instantly, narrowing his azure eyes. "What the—? What do you mean, live a little longer?"  
  
Jason shrugged. "Forget it, bro."  
  
"Forget it, hell. You explain yourself, right now, or I'll just dive into your head and find out what I want to know," Billy threatened, crossing his arms over his powerful chest.  
  
Jason pursed his lips, exhaling noisily. "Don't get pissed, bro. I haven't told anybody. I didn't want—"  
  
"Jason," Billy's voice held a warning note.  
  
"All right, then; but you have to swear you won't say anything to Tom or the others."  
  
"No deals, Scott! TELL ME!"  
  
"Okay…okay." Jason couldn't look at his friend, staring instead at the ceiling. "I'm dying."  
  
Billy stared at him. "No."  
  
"Yes. Ask Zordon, or Alpha."  
  
The former Blue Ranger swallowed hard. "How long?"  
  
Jason rubbed a tired hand over his face. "I won't see Christmas, probably."  
  
Billy expected the grief that washed over him, but he was surprised at the intensity of the fury that followed. "And how long have you known?" he asked carefully, trying to keep a lid on his anger.  
  
"Since I lost the Gold powers."  
  
Seconds ticked by in time with the muscle clenching in Billy's jaw; then he exploded. "For God's sake, Jason, THAT WAS MONTHS AGO!" he roared. "Why didn't you tell me? How could you go through this alone?"  
  
Jason still refused to look at Billy. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want you to worry, to treat me differently. I thought if you knew, it might change things between us…and I needed, more than anything, for our friendship to stay the same."  
  
Silence descended on the room. Jason finally turned to look at his friend, and flinched at the hurt and fury reflected on his face. Billy spoke quietly. "This is how you define friendship, is it?" He shook his head. "Were you planning on mentioning anything beforehand? Ever? Or were you just going to—arrrrgh!" A frustrated growl escaped his tightly clenched teeth. "I can't talk about this now." Billy slipped on his wrist communicator and spared Jason a rage-filled glance. "I'll be at home. Tell Dad for me, will you?" 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Anything inside these brackets like this is supposed to be telepathy.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 6  
  
  
  
Taia woke in stages, as though swimming through thick grayness to the surface of awareness. Opening her eyes, she studied her surroundings; a comfortable room. Among friends, she thought, remembering the images of the night before, and her encounter with Sentinel.  
  
There was a heavy weight to the side of the blankets that covered her, and she was surprised to see a dark head lying there, apparently asleep. There was something familiar about that head, those shoulders; had the raven hair been liberally sprinkled with gray, she would have sworn that it was her father. The man moved, turning his face toward her, and Taia gasped softly. He was indeed the image of her father; younger, clean-shaven, but the resemblance was uncanny, and she knew who it had to be.  
  
"Jason," she whispered. His eyes, dark as her own, opened, and then he sat up abruptly.  
  
Jason looked at the beautiful girl before him and smiled gently. "Hey, little sister. How are you feeling?"  
  
She answered him with a smile that mirrored his own. "I am well, but I can see that you are not. What troubles you, brother?"  
  
"Am I that transparent?"  
  
"No, but you spent the night here instead of in a comfortable bed. Surely your concern about a virtual stranger would not lead you to such an action were you not already troubled in mind."  
  
Jason chuckled ruefully. "You know me pretty well, for a 'virtual stranger'."  
  
She raised a hand to his stubbly jaw in a light caress. "I am a stranger to you; but please believe that you are no stranger to me, Jason. I have always known you were out here somewhere, and I have loved you from the beginning. As for my knowing you…" Taia's dark eyes met and held his gaze. "Do you not feel it, then, the bond we share? It is tenuous, but it is undeniably there, brother. Perhaps, had we shared a common history, it might be stronger…but I do know you, a little. Tell me what it is that disquiets your mind."  
  
**************  
  
Peter Cranston entered the room to find Taia clasped in her brother's arms, both of them weeping. "I'm so sorry, Taia; I'd give anything if things were different, if I could stay with you, be what you need me to be," Jason choked out. "God, what a mess."  
  
Peter frowned and placed a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. "What's happened here?" He smiled involuntarily at the two surprised, tear-streaked faces that turned to his, so alike in many ways. "Looking at you, there is no doubt that you are brother and sister. Now talk to me, son. What's going on?"  
  
Jason related the story of his illness and the previous night's events; Peter's face seemed set in stone. "Mr. C.? Don't be angry at Billy," he said, rightly divining the cause of the older man's expression. "I had all night to think about it, and I'd be just as ticked at him if he kept something like this from me. It's a shock to him, I know; I guess I was just in denial about it, and then after I saw the way the Sentinel powers changed Billy, I hoped…"  
  
"By all that's holy, Jason, if I'd known, I would have removed the constraint a long time ago, and maybe…oh, son, I am so sorry." Peter grasped the young man he'd loved like a son in a fierce hug. "I'm afraid my desire to keep you safe has somehow contributed to this."  
  
"There may yet be a way," Taia's soft voice penetrated Peter's sorrow.  
  
"Just the conclusion I had reached," came a voice from the doorway. The three turned to find Billy standing there, leaning against the frame. "I'm done being a butthead. I'm sorry, Jase. I hope you can forgive me."  
  
"Nothing to forgive, bro," said Jason thickly as the muscular blond man crossed the room and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm an idiot."  
  
"You're in good company," Billy chuckled, relief on his handsome face. His azure gaze sought Taia, and he knelt next to the bed. "How are you feeling, love?" He pulled her hands to his lips and kissed them.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Jason asked Peter, watching Billy caress Taia's cheek.  
  
"So that's what happened when all her readings went off the scale," Peter muttered.  
  
"Do you think you can?" Taia was saying to Billy.  
  
He looked at Jason. "I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Jason, can you come with me to the infirmary? You too, Dad."  
  
Taia gave the three men an indignant look. "You surely do not think I will stay here."  
  
Peter turned to her. "You still need rest, Taia. It takes time to come back from the kinds of things you've undergone. Your father's logs indicated you'd been in So'Vran's dungeons for a more than a month." Billy gave his father an appalled look at this piece of information, but held his tongue.  
  
"I have the right to attend him!" she sputtered. "Jason is my brother! I need to—"  
  
Jason looked at her impassively. "Xerya needs her Guardian well and strong, remember?"  
  
Taia shot him a dirty look. "I feel perfectly well."  
  
"It's all right, I think she should come along," Jason said to the others. Billy protested, Taia eagerly scrambled from her bed, but Jason held up his hand. "If," he continued, "she can prove that she is fully healed and back to full strength. So why don't you access the Guardian powers for us?"  
  
She narrowed her dark eyes at him. "Our link works better than you claim, brother."  
  
Jason made an elaborate show of waiting. "I'm right, aren't I? You can't do it."  
  
She bared her teeth at him. "As you surmise, I am not yet strong enough to access Guardian. However, when I am, I fully intend to remind you of this. Happy?"  
  
"No," Jason replied, his tone serious. "Go to bed, little sister."  
  
I want to be with you, he heard her voice inside his mind. Jason blinked, then concentrated.  
  
Then take the time to get well, so you can be, he replied silently; Taia turned away, blinking back tears. "Come on, let's get this over with," he said to the other two.  
  
****************  
  
In the corridor, Peter turned on his son. "For crying out loud, Billy, you were just supposed to go in there and save her, not lifebond with the girl!"  
  
Billy rested his brilliant gaze on his father. "And when Mom's blood sang to you, could you have stopped yourself?"  
  
Peter seemed about to say something, then stopped, a faraway look on his face, smiling. "No. No, it would have been useless to try…like a couple of trains colliding."  
  
Billy gave a 'there you are then' shrug.  
  
"Okay, I'll give you that, but did you have to bind her right away? Couldn't you have waited a bit, gotten to know her a little?"  
  
Billy shook his head. "Dad, Taia is just – part of me. She was from the beginning. Don't be a goofball. And exactly how long did you know Mom before you were lifebound?"  
  
Peter hesitated, then gave a shout of laughter. "Five minutes, give or take a couple seconds. I get your point. Sorry, son; I keep forgetting that you've grown up."  
  
Jason shot the two men a dark look. "Can somebody fill me in here? Lifebond?"  
  
"The closest thing I can compare it to here on Earth is what's referred to as 'soulmates'. On Xerya, when such people meet, their inner selves call to each other through the Bloodsong. If they choose to heed it they come together, completing one another, and are bound to each other for life," answered Peter, as delicately as he could.  
  
"Wait a sec. For life, as in 'til death do us part'?" He leveled a look at Billy, who blushed brightly. "Geez. You don't do things by halves, do you?" Jason shook his head slowly, chuckling. "I always thought of you as a brother anyway, Bill." He looked at his friend absently and began to laugh. "Oh, man, I can't wait until Tommy and the guys see you two together." A thought struck him as they reached the infirmary. "Mr. C., if it turns out that I become Paladin, will that—lifebonding—thing happen to me?"  
  
"It's possible, Jason. Something in the blood; it just sings out when your mate is near," Peter said, his face sobering somewhat at a fragment of memory. "You can resist it; but you wouldn't want to, for you'll know that the greatest happiness in your life suddenly lies within your grasp. Your parents were the same. Now," he cleared his throat and smiled at the young man before him, "Let's figure this damn thing out."  
  
*************************  
  
"So what's this about, Bill?" Jason sat tiredly in the infirmary, rubbing his eyes. "Is this going to take long? I want to catch a nap pretty soon; I didn't sleep much last night."  
  
"It's something I want to check out. Sentinel is capable of healing; is that right, Dad? Not just imparting spiritual strength, but actual physical healing."  
  
His father frowned. "Yes, for exceptionally powerful Sentinels, though there's no way to know if you're capable of it at this stage. You might be interested to know that I've been thinking about things, too."  
  
Jason cocked his head to the side and looked at him.  
  
Peter spoke slowly, as though still working things out in his mind. "You've seen a communication from your father. Was he wearing his armor?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, I guess so," Jason said slowly. "He was wearing some kind of golden stuff, pretty beat."  
  
"Mmmm. That would be his daily stuff. Nelin had some too; but that's beside the point. The point is that the power of Sentinel, and Guardian, and Paladin each come from a sentient energy, and that when manifested, each has a certain…look to it, that has to do with the ultimate source of the power, or possibly its frequency; I'm not clear which."  
  
Billy studied his father, blue eyes narrowed in thought. "I think I'm getting your drift, but go on."  
  
Peter looked at Jason. "When you were the Red Ranger, what colors did you wear?"  
  
Jason shrugged. "Red, mostly. It wasn't a conscious thing, but we all did it: Billy wore mostly blue, Tommy green, then white, Kim and Kat both wore pink all the time, and so on. I don't see what – hang on, yes I do. Father wears gold armor when he's not tapping the Paladin power because it manifests as gold, is that it?"  
  
"That's it."  
  
"So Jason was able to take the Gold powers when I couldn't because his body was naturally attuned in that direction anyway," muttered Billy, still deep in thought. "And taking the Gold power from him damaged him so much because –"  
  
"—my body registered that as tearing my innate power away, and reacted as though that was what had been done," finished Jason thoughtfully. "Interesting."  
  
Peter patted him on the back. "That's what I thought."  
  
"Okay, but I don't see where that gets me."  
  
Billy frowned. "So I think what I need to do is find a way to reconnect your power to your body. Reboot you, if you get what I mean. Let me try something." He closed his eyes and tapped the source of power that sat hidden within him. Instantly the bronzy liquid flowed from within him to cover his body, and once again he stood revealed as Sentinel.  
  
"Okay," Sentinel smiled. "Ready to go. Come here, Jase."  
  
Jason stood in front of the altered body of his friend. "What's the plan?"  
  
"Hell if I know," Sentinel gave an eloquent shrug. "I'm just going to wing this." He placed bronze hands to either side of Jason's face and concentrated…  
  
…and Jason faced Billy once again in a place full of shadows. "Okay," the dark-haired former Ranger said, "where are we and why aren't you Sentinel anymore?"  
  
"Physically, I'm still Sentinel," Billy said slowly. "I can feel it. But we're not on the physical plane anymore; we're inside your being. And on the inside, I'm still me."  
  
There was a long pause. "Man," said Jason finally, looking around. "I need a decorator."  
  
Billy walked to the shadows, then turned to look back at his friend. "If your situation is anything like Taia's, I've got to find a way to light you up again. Her damage was spiritual, yours is physical, but I think the principle must be the same. These shadows have to go."  
  
"Okay, I'm game," said Jason. "How do we do – whoa, nice trick." Billy's body had begun to glow from the inside out. Jason began to feel some discomfort, coiling deep in his torso, dispersing out toward his extremities; Billy brightened.  
  
Jason went to his knees with sudden pain. His chest clutched and squeezed, his heart thumping as though trying to break free of his ribcage. His throat burned, raw and rough. Pain radiated through his skull, threading into his brain, skewering his eyes, crawling coldly down his spine. Muscles contracted and popped, cramping and twisting him. Fire skittered through every nerve ending; every hair on his body stood on end. "Bill—" he gasped.  
  
The glowing form glanced over at him. "It hurts, I know. Hang in there; I'll help soon."  
  
Jason gritted his teeth, determined not to cry out; the pain upped a notch, and he went to the ground, writhing. "Can't—take—much—more—of this," he managed, then lost his battle and began to scream in agony. He was blinded by the pain, deafened by his own voice, crying out in utter torture as he convulsed and thrashed in the brightening light. Billy bent to him then, and Jason clawed the air, unseeing, trying to find a lifeline.  
  
And as suddenly as it began, the pain subsided. Jason felt as though he was floating, wrapped in cotton, muffled from everything by the sudden cessation of suffering. He got up slowly and looked around for his friend, appalled at what he found. Billy was down on one knee, glowing nearly white- hot, but his face was etched in strain, and the lines of his body were taut, as though he struggled to lift something huge.  
  
"Bill?" Jason reached for him, but Billy stopped him.  
  
"Don't touch—or you'll get—it all—back," the blond man growled out between gasps.  
  
"Have you – you've taken all my pain for me?" Jason was furious, and upset beyond belief.  
  
"Hey—bro—glad—to do—it," Billy gave him the ghost of a grin, then bowed his head in concentration. Jason found himself surrounded by a loud humming, and he watched, aghast, as his oldest and, he realized, his best friend strained to get to his feet, growling in earnest this time.  
  
Billy felt weight like he'd never felt before pressing down on him, crushing him; and he knew somehow that if he could just gain his feet…the strain was horrific, the pain worse, but the harder the weight of darkness pushed on him, the harder he pushed back. I am Sentinel, he thought, and the thought gave him strength. I have been the Blue Ranger, the Blue Ninjetti, Avatar of the Wolf. Jason's life is in my hands, and I shall not let him die. I am Sentinel, and I—WILL—NOT—BE—DEFEATED!  
  
With a howl of triumph he stood, blazing too brightly for Jason to look; and then all went white, and they were back in the infirmary.  
  
*****************  
  
Taia stood outside the closet, examining the clothes little Alpha had brought. "Made to your measurements, and patterned after the styles of our female Rangers, though I think these colors should appeal to you better than pink or yellow," the little robot had happily babbled. He'd been delighted to help her comb the tangles out of her (finally!) freshly- shampooed hair, and had scurried off in search of adequate footwear. Taia had selected a white tank top and a pair of short denim cutoffs, braiding her hair and securing it with an elastic, when suddenly she felt as though something precious had been cut from her. Eyes wide, she ran to the communicator by her door.  
  
*******************  
  
A frantic cry of "Zordon!" caught Tommy's attention in the main chamber. He'd arrived at the Command Center only moments before, hoping to catch up on some work tuning up the Zords; ever since he'd taken Billy's place as point man in the Center, he'd wondered how Billy had managed to find time to do all he'd done.  
  
Zordon materialized within the time warp, a worried look on his face. "Go ahead, Guardian."  
  
Guardian? Tommy thought, surprised. Who's Guardian?  
  
"Where is the infirmary? My link with Jason has been severed," the woman's voice sounded on the verge of panic.  
  
"I will send someone to you. Is Billy all right?"  
  
"I think so," she said, her voice shaking. "I can feel him, though I think he is unconscious, but Jason—hurry, Zordon, please!" 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Anything inside these brackets like this is supposed to be telepathy.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 7  
  
  
  
Tommy ran at top speed, following Zordon's instructions for finding the guest quarters. (Guest quarters? he thought. What kind of guests does a big white head in a tube have, anyway?) He skidded to a stop in front of an unfamiliar door just as it burst open.  
  
"You're Tommy?" the dark-haired girl in front of him queried urgently. Not stopping to answer her, Tommy grabbed her hand, activating the transport command on his wrist communicator, and they materialized in the infirmary. The scene looked like something out of Tommy's nightmares; Billy and Jason lay unconscious on the floor with Billy's father trying frantically to drag Billy's dead weight to an examining bed.  
  
"What has happened, P'tyr?" Zordon's familiar face materialized in the infirmary time warp.  
  
"Billy was using his Sentinel energy to try to bring Jason back to full strength; he thought it might help him access his Paladin powers. It seemed to be going well enough, and then they both cried out as though in pain, and collapsed. Tommy, Taia, get Jason over to that bed," the older man snapped. The two complied, and Peter busied himself with a diagnostic shield.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Tommy breathed. "Are they—?"  
  
As if to forestall Tommy's horrifying fear, Billy stirred a little. Taia ran to him, grasping his hand tightly.  
  
"William," she whispered. "Come back to me, please." Tommy gaped anew at the raw emotion in the beautiful stranger's delicate features as she focused on his old friend's face.  
  
Billy spoke, his voice raw. "Always," he murmured huskily, pulling the girl's mouth to his for a fiery kiss. "Jason, is he—?" the blond man turned his attention to the other bed.  
  
"I know not," the girl whispered. "I cannot feel him." Tears edged down her face; Billy sat up slowly, curling an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.  
  
The diagnostic readouts continued to slide lower; Peter cursed volubly. "Now you listen to me, young man," he began to berate the unconscious Jason. "I made your father a promise, and I intend to keep it, so your dying on me just now is out of the question, do you hear me?" His able fingers flew over the console. "NO! That is not an option! Billy, I need a hand here!"  
  
His son was instantly by his side, assessing the readouts and compensating for them. Tommy began to shake; Jason was dying? How—what—? The girl he'd brought here was in despair; at least here was something he could do. Tommy crossed to her and gave her a hug. "He's strong, you'll see. Have faith in him."  
  
She turned wide eyes to his, eyes as dark as Jason's own. "I just found him," she whispered. "I cannot lose him now."  
  
Tommy had no idea what she meant, but he didn't care. "Tell him that, in your heart," he encouraged. "He'll hear you."  
  
She stilled, her hand going to her mouth. "Yes, he will," she murmured, then closed her eyes and concentrated.  
  
Jason.  
  
No reply. Taia shuddered and went deeper, almost to the very edge of consciousness; then there was a faint flutter. Jason?  
  
As though from far away, she heard a whisper of a reply. Tai…I knew you'd be here for me.  
  
You have to fight this, Jason. Come back to us. Please.  
  
I can't…too much interference…  
  
Be strong, brother. You can do this. You must.  
  
They are fighting me. You have to let me go…  
  
Her entire body shook. No! Please, Jason…I need you.  
  
Their link gained in strength for a moment. Listen to me, Tai. Billy can't hear me. Tell him… to reboot… you have to… shut down… hurry...   
  
She hesitated uncertainly.  
  
Tai… help me…  
  
Her dark eyes snapped open; she spoke abruptly to the two men working frantically there. "Leave the console."  
  
Peter stared at her in disbelief. "We can't, not now; he'll die!"  
  
She looked at him, then at Billy. "He'll die if you don't stop. Let him go."  
  
Billy paused, watching her; Peter continued frantically trying to compensate for Jason's failing life signs. "Don't listen to her; she can't possibly—" the older man gritted. "Billy, I'm losing him!" Billy turned back to the console and reached for it.  
  
"I said STOP!" The timbre of her voice changed as liquid silver coalesced around her slender form, her hair unraveling itself from the braid and forming a living nimbus around her head. Peter Cranston flew into the air unceremoniously and hung there, struggling. Tommy jumped to his feet and took a battle stance; in the same instant, bronze coated Billy's body as he growled at the silvery form of the girl. Shaking off his astonishment, Tommy made a mental note to get information at the first opportunity.  
  
"Put him down, Guardian." Billy all but snarled.  
  
"I will not, Sentinel. I cannot. My brother's life hangs in the balance." At her words, the diagnostic shield registered at zero with a single, melancholy note.  
  
The thing that had been Billy bared its teeth at the girl. "Not any more."  
  
"Jason, nooooo…" moaned Peter; she gently placed him on the ground, but prevented him from touching the diagnostic shield controls.  
  
"Stand down, Sentinel," the girl called Guardian commanded. "I have no wish to fight you."  
  
Sentinel's voice was low, threatening. "You've just killed my oldest friend; lifebond or no, you will fight me, Guardian."  
  
"No," she reverted to her earlier form. "I shall not. I meant what I said, Billy; I am yours, forever. I will not challenge you."  
  
Tommy stepped forward warily. "Billy, take it easy. You don't want to hurt anyone here."  
  
The bronze visage, so unnervingly like his friend, turned and regarded him, then just as suddenly it was gone, replaced by Billy's grief-stricken face. "Oh, God, Tommy…Jason's dead." They stared at each other in disbelieving silence.  
  
A small bip from the diagnostic shield caught the attention of the entire room; as one, they turned to Jason's still body. Suddenly his chest rose in a great gasp, and Peter dashed forward to the console as Taia slipped unnoticed toward the door.  
  
"He's alive! He's alive, and his readings are off the scale! By God, Billy, you did it!" Peter was shouting in his elation.  
  
Billy blew out a sigh, heavy with relief, then shook his head. "It wasn't all me, Dad. Taia was right, and we almost—we were idiots for not listening to her. Tai, I'm so—oh, no."  
  
The door to the infirmary closed behind her with a swish. Billy bit out an oath and ran to follow her, leaving Peter, Tommy, and Zordon alone with an unconscious Jason.  
  
Tommy regarded the time warp. "Would this be an okay time for me to ask WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Anything inside these brackets like this is supposed to be telepathy.  
  
Legacy, part 8  
  
  
  
Taia looked reluctantly at the room she'd inhabited so briefly. Everything was in its place and tidy; she'd changed back into her pressure suit, the clothes she'd worn were back in the wardrobe. She dropped the vidcrystal her mother had made so many years ago for Jason on the bed and turned, catching a glimpse of her face in the mirror. Slowly she approached the dresser and leaned both fists on it, staring at her reflection.  
  
"You are a fool, Taia," she whispered. "Not worthy to be Guardian, not anymore. Before – before, maybe you could have grown to fit the mantle. But not now. You nearly killed your brother, first by hesitating, then by aggression against those trying to save him. Why could you not simply tell the others what you knew?" Straightening, she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, leaning against the wall. "So'Vran was right. I am in pieces now, and I cannot put them back together. All I can do is run, like the coward he knew I was." Slowly she slid to the floor, burying her face in her hands. "I need…spirits, I do not know what it is that I need." Taia turned an unseeing, tear-streaked face to the ceiling, spreading her palms in supplication. "Help me know what to do, Guardian. I am lost…"  
  
The door to her room swished open; Billy did not see her at first. "Tai? Oh… no…" he took in the immaculate state of the room. "You've left me…" Taia started at the sound of his voice and saw pain twist his handsome features, believing her gone.  
  
I am here, beloved. Billy started at her voice in his head and whirled to see her crouched next to the dresser.  
  
"Tai? Thank God," he crossed to her and crouched on his haunches in front of her. "But you were going, weren't you?"  
  
"I don't know," she sighed. "I wanted to hide from you all; mostly from myself."  
  
"But you were right, Taia," Billy said quietly. "We were in the wrong. You saved Jason's life."  
  
I nearly lost it for him as well. I made terrible choices. How can I help my people if I cannot make good decisions in the heat of battle?  
  
He tilted her chin up to face him. I made some terrible choices as well, threatening you, doubting you…can you forgive me?  
  
Her dark eyes brimmed over with tears, nearly breaking Billy's heart. Had I not made my decisions so poorly, you would not have turned on me so angrily. The one I cannot forgive is myself.  
  
A third voice, familiar and loved by both, broke into their link. No one needs forgiveness here, Jason's voice boomed strong and confident. You both did your best to save my life, and you succeeded. Your guilt is misplaced. Trust each other, trust your bond. Taia could feel the thread connecting her to her brother grow stronger, fuller. Your lack of confidence in your abilities is misplaced as well, Taia. Father spoke of your power, of the blessing that you have become to the Xeryan people. How can you not know…? Taia gasped aloud and tried to shy away as her brother traced the boundaries of her experiences with So'Vran, his growl of rage at what he found there echoing in both their minds. I will kill this So'Vran for what he did to you. Don't give him this victory, little sister. Not this nor any other.  
  
She stared at Billy for a long time, unmoving; then, slowly, she reached out and stroked his jaw in a feather light caress. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm; she made a small noise of pleasure, and suddenly Billy could no longer hold himself in check, dragging her to him, crushing her mouth with his own.  
  
In the infirmary, Jason smiled and opened his eyes.  
  
A while later Taia lay atop Billy, their bodies still entwined, listening to his heartbeat as it slowed back to normal. Her abundance of dark hair spread over them, its silken duskiness clinging to them. "So this is what a train collision feels like," she murmured, laughing softly.  
  
"You heard that?" Billy blushed fiercely. "I can't believe you heard that."  
  
She propped her chin on his chest and regarded him through dark eyes, love and mischief reflected on her face. "Did you know, the most interesting parts of you blush when you are embarrassed?"  
  
"Oh, Lord, you're as bad as Kat and Tanya."  
  
Dark eyebrows raised teasingly. "Oh yes?"  
  
"You're as impossible as they are," Billy growled as he rolled over on top of her, imprisoning her in a loving cage of his arms and legs.  
  
"And do you desire them as well?" Taia said saucily.  
  
"Are you confused as to whom I desire? I thought I made myself clear on that point," he nuzzled her neck. "Would you like a demonstration?"  
  
She smiled up at him. "I am rather stupid," her breath caught as he began to kiss her slender throat. "I think I will need a lot of reminders…if you think you are up to it."  
  
Billy gave her a wolfish grin. "Oh, I'm up to it, love." And he proved it.  
  
**************  
  
"I'm sorry, son; I can't think of anything else to do. Either Paladin will manifest itself spontaneously, or your recent ordeals have made the thing impossible," Peter looked at Jason, his heart heavy. "You don't feel any change at all?"  
  
"No, not really," Jason sighed. "I'm more aware of Taia, but – whoa! Turn it off, please!"  
  
Peter looked at the youth worriedly. "What is it, Jase? Are you in pain? What?"  
  
"No, it's – Taia! Turn it down! Oh, man…" Jason gave his companions a hunted look.  
  
"Are they in trouble?" Tommy's voice was urgent.  
  
"No, they're… um… you know, the train wreck thing? Hang on a second." Jason closed his eyes and concentrated, hard.  
  
Taia? TAIA!  
  
Jason! Are you hurt?  
  
No, Tai, you're broadcasting. Keep it down, will you? There are things I just do not need to know about ol' Billy, if you get my drift.  
  
Oh, by the spirits, I am so sorry. I did not realize…  
  
'Sokay, just keep it to yourselves from now on, all right? Jason blew out a breath and began to laugh. He eyed Tommy, who was watching him curiously. "What?"  
  
"Jase, is it my imagination, or are you…growing?" 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Here's a little fun before things hit the fan.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 9  
  
  
  
"Jason, what the hell is happening to you?" Tommy's eyes were round with astonishment as he watched his friend's physique expand right before the Red Turbo Ranger's astounded gaze. Clothes that had nearly hung off Jason's frame only moments before now were stretched to the limit, and his pants were at least three inches too short.  
  
"I – I – Mr. C! Look at me!" Jason's voice rang out joyfully.  
  
Peter Cranston grinned. "I see, Jase, I see. Can you access Paladin, do you think?"  
  
"Maybe – I don't know. How?"  
  
"Okay, fine," interrupted Tommy. "I'll just go with the flow until someone clues me in, shall I?"  
  
Jason laughed. "I'm sorry, man. It's a long story." Jason and Peter took turns filling the handsome martial artist in.  
  
"Holy cow, what a time you've been having," Tommy breathed when they were through. "Sisters from other planets, saving the cosmos, returning from the brink of death…you know, if we hadn't been through so many weird things together with the Rangers I'd think you were nuts. One thing, though, bro; there's something I need you to do for me when you're back to full strength."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Remind me to kick your sorry ass for keeping your condition from me. What were you thinking?"  
  
Jason winced guiltily. "I know, I'm sorry. Billy already flew off the handle at me, if it makes you feel any better."  
  
Tommy ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Not really, but I guess it will have to do." He looked at his friend thoughtfully. "So now what are you going to do?"  
  
A loud growl from Jason's midsection answered that question. "Lunch, I hope. Maybe we should call the others for a picnic or something. I've got a lot to tell them."  
  
Alpha bustled in self-importantly. "P'tyr Krann, I have replicated Billy's clothes to accommodate his larger frame, but he is not in his quarters, and I—ai-yi-yi!" The little robot caught sight of Jason. "Now I'll have to replicate a new set for you, too. Tommy, tell me now if you're going to grow suddenly."  
  
"Wasn't planning on it," Tommy chuckled.  
  
"If you'll go replicate those clothes for me now, Alpha, by the time you're done I'll have taken a shower and found Billy," said Jason, avoiding looking at Billy's father. "I think I know where he is."  
  
**************  
  
While Jason showered, Tommy went hunting for Zordon, finding him with Alpha in the main chamber. "Can I ask you guys something?"  
  
"Of course, Tommy. What is troubling you?" came the familiar bass response.  
  
He leaned a hip against a console and folded his arms. "This world, Xerya, is in some trouble, right?"  
  
"Deep trouble, Tommy. And I fear So'Vran's evil will begin to spread like a pestilence if he finds a way to penetrate the dimensional barrier. Guardian, Sentinel, and Paladin may be the last, best hope for all of us."  
  
Tommy was in a brown study, frowning absently. Suddenly his countenance lightened, as though he'd come to a conclusion, or made a decision. "Zordon," he said, reaching into his pocket for his morpher, "I need you to make a call."  
  
***************  
  
"Want a drink?" Tommy asked over his shoulder as he leaned into the cooler. He sat with Jason on the shore of Angel Grove Lake, waiting for their friends to join them for an impromptu picnic lunch.  
  
"Sure," the brawny, dark-haired man said, his gaze locked on some distant point. "Whatever you got." He grabbed the lobbed can of soda out of the air and flipped it open, drinking absently.  
  
"I wonder where everybody is." Tommy lay back on the blanket he'd spread under their usual tree, propping himself up on his elbows and crossing his feet. The day was gorgeous, bright and hot and cloudless; the lake was calm, with hardly a ripple breaking its glassy surface. He sighed with a smile. "They don't know what they're missing."  
  
Jason took a final swallow and wiped his mouth on his arm. "They'll be here in a little while. I wanted to talk to you first, just us." He looked unaccountably nervous, and Tommy grew suspicious.  
  
"What's up, Jase?" Tommy's hazel eyes narrowed, watching his friend.  
  
Jason sighed. "Okay, let me just ask you something real quick, okay? But I need you to be honest with me."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Jason fidgeted with the fringe of the blanket, refusing to look at his friend. "Does it bother you that – well, that I'm not originally from around here?"  
  
There was a long pause, during which a number of possible responses ticked through Tommy's mind. A part of him couldn't believe Jason had just asked him that, as though it mattered whether he was human, or Xeryan, or a tree frog. On the other hand, if their positions were reversed, Tommy'd probably be worried about the same thing.  
  
And Jase had been through an awful lot recently. It occurred to Tommy that maybe his friend was feeling a little neglected, wondering whether their friendship was still what it had been before the whole losing-the-Gold- powers fiasco. He decided to answer that question instead. "Geez, Jase," said Tommy softly, chuckling. He began to shake his can of soda vigorously. "First you don't tell me you're in trouble, and now you think I care where you were born?" Jason eyed the soda can warily. "There's only one answer to that, Scott."  
  
"Tommy…"  
  
"You better run, bro."  
  
Jason raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid question, okay?" Tommy got to his feet. "Tom, these are the only clothes I have that fit—"  
  
Tommy just grinned. "Then you better run fast." With that he cracked the seal of the soda, aiming it at Jason, who took a blast of cold, sticky cola right in the face with a yelp.  
  
"Oh…" he growled, shaking his head like a dog coming in from the rain, "now YOU better run, pal." With a whoop he jumped to his feet and took off after Tommy.  
  
Tommy ran toward a picnic table, leaping lightly over it and turning to face his pursuer. "You may have the bulk and the muscles, Jase, but I've got the speed," he taunted laughingly. "And ALL the style," he added, twisting just out of Jason's reach as the taller man followed him.  
  
Jason just laughed. It had been months since he'd been able to horse around like this; and even then it had never felt this good. He laughed again, putting on a burst of speed, feinting left then leaping right when Tommy fell for his bluff. He tackled his friend around the middle and they rolled together in a tangle of limbs, both gasping with laughter, until Jason got to his feet and stopped the mock-battle with the simple expedient of lifting Tommy off the ground and into the air, giving him no leverage. With a satisfied chuckle, Jason headed toward the dock, holding his wriggling quarry securely.  
  
"It's a great day for a picnic," Tanya Park swung the basket of food jauntily with a grin at her husband. Adam Park smiled back at his wife, hefting the big cooler up a notch.  
  
"Yep, this is a great idea. Plus I'm glad that Jason's feeling well enough these days to think of this kind of thing. That trip with Billy must have done some good. Look, there's Rocky," he waved at his friend who was approaching from another direction.  
  
"Hey, you two. Where are we meeting the others?" Rocky said somewhat breathlessly as he jogged up to them.  
  
"Over by the lake," Tanya supplied. "Thanks, Rock," she added as he took the heavy hamper from her and gave her his rolled blanket to carry instead. "I can hear Tommy shouting, but I don't see –wait a sec. Is that –?" She shaded her eyes with her hand to get a better look. "Is that Jason? He looks – he looks –" she stuttered, then turned to her husband, who was staring at the pair on the dock.  
  
"Holy crap," said Rocky as they got closer. He dropped the picnic basket and began to run. "Jason! Jase! Madre de Dios, is that you?" Adam and Tanya glanced at each other, then ran after him.  
  
"Rocky!" hollered Tommy, still struggling in midair. "Gimme a hand here!"  
  
Rocky came to a halt on the smooth wood of the dock as a grinning Jason suspended his friend over the water. The lanky Latino eyed the scene. Jason's head and shoulders were dripping with cola, and he was, frankly, huge. "Uh, I don't think so, Tom. You're on your own."  
  
"Hey, Rocko," said Jason with a grin. "Hi, guys," he added to the Parks. "Say goodbye, Tommy."  
  
"JAS—" Tommy began, ending in splutters as he hit the lake.  
  
Tanya greeted her old friend with a hug. "What happened to you, Jason?"  
  
"Tommy squirted me with a soda."  
  
She gave an exasperated snort, watching her husband haul the dripping prankster from the water. "You know what I mean. You look, um, different."  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah, though you ought to see Bill. We'll fill everyone in at the same time, okay?"  
  
Tommy turned a glare on Rocky, who tried to look innocent and failed. "Nice to know who your friends are in a pinch, Rock."  
  
"Hey, dude, you brought it on yourself." The Blue Turbo Ranger spread his hands in a 'who, me?' gesture.  
  
"Oh, you're right, I'm being thoughtless. C'mere, buddy," and Tommy wrapped a laughing, protesting Rocky in a soaking wet bear hug. Adam cracked up and the two looked at him, nodded to each other, grabbed the surprised man and leapt into the lake, carrying him with them. Tanya shrieked with laughter as Jason shrugged and jumped in after them, initiating a water fight that lasted until Kat arrived bearing an armful of towels.  
  
"How did you know?" asked Tanya as she watched the guys drying themselves off.  
  
"We're at the lake, T. Somebody always gets thrown in," Kat chuckled. Jason tugged off his wet shirt and immediately everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at him in amazement. He reddened and draped the towel over his shoulders, his countenance brightening considerably as he caught sight of the couple approaching them. Five other pairs of eyes swiveled to watch; four pairs widened in surprise as they recognized one of the newcomers.  
  
"Hi, guys," Billy said, blushing at his friends' scrutiny. "Tai brought you some dry clothes, Jase. I figured somebody would get thrown in."  
  
"Hey, thanks, My-tai," said her brother as she handed him the small case she carried with a smile that matched his own. Five heads looked from one sibling to the other and back. Taia looked down at the ground shyly. "Guys," said Jason, slipping an arm around her shoulders, "I want you to meet my sister, Taia. Which is only the beginning of what we have to tell you." 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. There's a little something at the end here, a tip of the hat to fans of a particular Ranger.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 10  
  
  
  
The food got eaten, though nobody remembered eating it, so engrossed were they as Billy and Jason told their story. For a while afterward they just sat, staring at each other, each occupied with their own thoughts, until Tanya noticed Taia looking distinctly shy and uncomfortable. She nudged Kat, who smiled at the alien girl.  
  
"Tell us about your dad," the Aussie said kindly, drawing her knees up under her chin. "Is he like Jason?"  
  
Taia nodded emphatically. "Both in countenance and in manner, they are very much alike," she smiled at her brother. "Strong of body and of will, kind and gentle in nature. Loving and honorable. And very handsome," Taia added with a chuckle, noting her brother's rising blush.  
  
"Knock it off, My-Tai," Jason mumbled, ducking his head.  
  
"Sounds like our Jason, all right," Tanya interjected cheerfully. "He's a dish, all right."  
  
"A hottie," agreed Kat gleefully.  
  
Jason groaned and buried his head under a towel. "Tell me when they're finished, Bill."  
  
Rocky took the last piece of fried chicken. "I don't know why you always get like this, Jase. I only wish they'd say this stuff about me."  
  
"Which is why we don't," retorted Kat and Tanya in unison, then burst out laughing at the coincidence while Rocky turned red.  
  
"See what I meant earlier?" whispered Billy to his love. "They're merciless."  
  
Adam curved his arm around Tanya. "All right, stop torturing Jason."  
  
The lovely dark-skinned girl made a face. "He deserves it, for not telling us how sick he was." Kat nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, maybe." Adam sent Jason a look as well. "But 'was' is the operative word, thank God. So what will you guys do now?"  
  
Jason took a deep breath and glanced at Billy, who nodded briefly. "Head home."  
  
"Home?" asked Rocky, voicing all their concerns. " 'Home' as in Xerya? But – no – what if – ?"  
  
Tommy laid a hand on Rocky's shoulder. "They have to, Rock. The people of Xerya are in trouble, and if I understand Zordon right, so are we all if that barrier breaks down. Billy and Jason and Tai are the only hope these people have. They have to go."  
  
The group fell silent; then Kat spoke up. "What can we do to help?"  
  
****************  
  
"So this is where you live," said Taia, her dark eyes looking over the suburban home Billy shared with his father. She turned to him. "Shall you miss it?"  
  
He looked at the house, the only real home he'd known, shading his eyes from the afternoon sun with his hand. "Yeah, I will. But who knows, maybe we'll come back someday. Come on, love, I've got work to do, and not a lot of time."  
  
Billy went directly upstairs, leaving Taia to wander the house. Curiously she studied the photos on the wall, running her fingers over the softness of an afghan draped on the back of the sofa. She looked at books, touching the spines gingerly; at videos and CDs, trying to figure out their function. At length she wandered up the stairs to find Billy packing a small suitcase. "What are you bringing?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Mementos, mostly. None of these clothes fit anymore, and my laptop would be less than useless on Xerya. But there were a couple things I didn't want to leave behind, just in case."  
  
"May I see?"  
  
"Of course," he held out a photo album. "Have a look."  
  
She curled up on the bed, plopping the book in her lap. The album fell open as though its spine was permanently bent in one well-used place. Before Taia was a portrait of a lovely woman, blonde, with hazel eyes, and Billy's smile. "Your mother." Billy nodded. "She's beautiful."  
  
"I used to think she was the most beautiful woman in the world." He sat next to her, looping his arms around her. "Until I met you."  
  
She answered him with a delighted smile, putting the book aside as he bent his head to hers, kissing her gently. "William?"  
  
He was exploring her neck now. "Mmmm?"  
  
"Have we time?"  
  
His blue eyes flared as he reached for her. "Time enough."  
  
***************  
  
Eventually they all found themselves back at the Command Center as though by consensus. Adam, Tanya, Kat and Rocky watched with sober eyes as Jason, Billy, Peter and Taia readied their ship in one of the Center's huge docking bays. The ship was very large and well-appointed; Billy's father explained that he and Alpha had been working on it for years, assuming that the Xeryans would one day return to their homeworld. They would avoid detection on takeoff the same way they had avoided it on arrival so many years before, through Zordon's powerful teleportation grid and then through subspace, turning a several years' journey into one of mere days' duration.  
  
"Okay," said Peter finally. "Ready to go. Have we got everybody?"  
  
"Yup," came the answer from the doorway, as Tommy walked in carrying a good- sized duffel.  
  
"Wait—"  
  
"Tommy, what –"  
  
"Bro, you can't—"  
  
The bay was filled with a jumble of protesting voices. Peter held up his hands for silence. "I take it you haven't told them yet," he said dryly to a sheepish Tommy.  
  
He looked at each of his friends in turn, his gaze finally resting on Jason. "I'm coming with you."  
  
Jason crossed to him, his stance belligerent. "The hell you are!"  
  
"The hell I'm not." Tommy shook his head. "It's already settled, Jase. I'm going, whether you want me to or not. Zordon knows, and he agreed."  
  
"But—but—what about the Rangers?" Adam asked. "You're the leader, you can't just walk away. Who could possibly take your place?"  
  
In answer a red streak of light materialized in front of them. Tommy grinned. "Already taken care of."  
  
A figure stepped from the beam of crimson light; the onlookers shielded their eyes from the glare as the figure stood silhouetted in front of them. Tommy stepped forward, hugging the slight Asian girl exuberantly.  
  
"Hey, everyone, Tommy." Trini smiled serenely. "I got your message." 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. The originals are all in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Lots of POV's here, but I wanted to get inside everyone's head. You might need a scorecard.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 11  
  
  
  
As they always do, goodbyes took longer than anticipated, but at last the ship was ready and the passengers were on board, strapped into large, well- padded seats for the first leg of the journey. The five Rangers raised their hands in farewell as the teleportation grid powered up. Tommy pressed his palm flat against the thick porthole window as though to touch them all one last time. Jason looked at each friend's face in turn, trying to memorize them through sober onyx eyes. Billy grasped Taia's hand tightly, and Peter's face was turned toward the sky and the home he'd left behind.  
  
"May the power protect you all," whispered Zordon as Alpha waved both arm extensions frantically, howling 'ai-yi-yi' over and over. The grid glowed; the ship grew translucent, wavery, the image thinning out more and more until it faded completely from view.  
  
Inside the ship the three younger men felt the first twinges of the familiar nausea brought on by Eltaran teleportation. Peter's face turned an unhealthy green, while Taia tilted her head back against the seat cushion and closed her eyes, breathing carefully through her nose. Shortly they materialized at the outermost rim of the grid's reach, whereupon Peter drew a long, relieved breath.  
  
"I'd forgotten how disorienting teleportation can be. Everyone all right?" There was a quiet chorus of assent. "I'll be up in the cabin, then, if you need me. You kids do whatever you like for a while. I'll call you when we jump to subspace."  
  
Billy and Taia wandered off to explore the ship more carefully, leaving Jason and Tommy facing each other in silence. Jason eyed his friend narrowly; after a while Tommy couldn't stand it any more.  
  
"Because it was the right thing to do," he burst out. "Because I nearly lost you once, Jase, and I didn't even know it. Because this is where I belong, with you and Bill."  
  
Jason quirked a small grin. "And you're not even a telepath." His expression sobered. "It means a lot to me that you're here, Tom. Even though it's not your fight."  
  
Tommy snorted. "I don't know what you mean. It's your fight, it's Billy's fight… so it's my fight too. Now knock it off and show me around this tub."  
  
**************  
  
"And you and I can bunk in here, next to Mr. C., unless you want quarters to yourself, in which case you can go in next to the Love Shack. I wouldn't advise it, though," chuckled Jason. "Bill and Tai can get pretty rambunctious."  
  
Tommy's eyes widened. "Our Bill?" He shook his head. "Geez, if the girls at Angel Grove High had only known… thanks, I'll go in here with you if you don't mind."  
  
"One snore and you're out on your ass, Oliver."  
  
"Like you'll hear it over the brass band you produce. Come on, I'm hungry."  
  
***************  
  
It was funny, Billy mused a day or so later, staring out a porthole, but he'd never realized that there were no stars in subspace before. Just empty blackness, as far as the imagination can go. Of course his experience with subspace was somewhat limited to theory, until now, and it wasn't something he'd given any thought to, whether one would see stars… but he missed them. They didn't need them for navigation, but the loneliness of empty space was pervasive, and boring, and depressing...  
  
With a sigh he got up from his seat and walked away from the porthole. He was giving himself the jimjams, and that was inadvisable at the least. Billy twisted his head this way and that, trying to ease the tension that had settled there.  
  
It wasn't the lack of stars that had him all creeped out anyway, he admitted silently. It was the lack of concrete information. Unknown situation, unknown adversaries, unknown abilities… Not knowing had always driven him crazy, hence his accelerated educational track.  
  
He grimaced as he realized he was thinking in what his friends used to call 'Billyspeak'. He always got wordy when he was nervous. It was why few people had understood anything he'd said in high school. He'd been pretty much perpetually nervous then, always on edge for fear someone wouldn't speak to him, or worse, that they would. But that edge, however keen, was like a four-lane highway compared to the edge he teetered on now.  
  
*****************  
  
Meditation was not helping. Taia switched positions, hoping to find better focus, but that too was unsuccessful. She sighed irritatedly and got up from her place on the floor, stretching her arms over her head.  
  
In a day or so they would be able to try and contact Xerya, to discover what had happened since she had been taken. She didn't quite know how to feel about that. Odds were not in favor of the rebellion prospering in her absence. More than that, Taia wondered about this traitor her father had mentioned. She'd known shortly after her capture that Paladin had been the target, not she. It seemed whoever had betrayed them was squeamish about the torture of a young woman, though that consideration had not weighed with So'Vran.  
  
Her hands shook with remembered pain; resolutely she put it out of her mind. It was over.  
  
Wasn't it?  
  
*****************  
  
Tommy threw all his weight into the kick he landed on Jason's midsection, but his friend merely huffed out a breath. It hadn't really hurt him; not that Tommy'd wanted to. But it was everything he had. Tommy rubbed his nose and tried again, to much the same response. Jason was about as affected as a punching bag full of sand would have been. The main difference was that Jason could hit back if he chose to.  
  
What if they were all like this on Xerya? He'd wanted to help, but… Tommy didn't have any powers, not any more. He was just a guy who could kick pretty well. And who was in way over his head.  
  
What the hell was he doing out here?  
  
*******************  
  
Jason could see his friend was nervous, and getting worse by the second. And he didn't blame Tommy. Jason was equally scared.  
  
What was waiting for them?  
  
And would they all survive? 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
Legacy, part 12  
  
"Oh, Lord," said Peter. "This is why we had no response from Iannos."  
  
"Spirits," Taia whispered as they drew abreast of the landing coordinates. Billy slid his arms around her waist, drawing her back to lean against him, as they surveyed the scene before them.  
  
Absolute devastation. Blackened hulks rose from the ground; chunks of twisted metal that might have been almost anything from a small spacecraft to a Quonset hut. Charred rubble littered the ground, which itself was scorched. What little vegetation there had been had turned to ash. The light was poor, the sun filtering through layers of smoke and steam, lending an aura of surrealism to an already unbelievable sight.  
  
Taia began to shake. "The fault is mine." Her voice was ghostlike, her eyes huge and dark. "I should have been here, should have protected –" Her knees sagged; Billy caught her weight against him and carried her to a seat out of sight of the decimation that had been the main base of operations for the Xeryan underground.  
  
Peter watched them, a muscle in his jaw clenching. Jason simply stared out of the thick window, speechless.  
  
Tommy leaned forward suddenly, propelled by a realization. "Mr. C… where are the people?" Peter looked at him blankly. "The bodies. Where are the bodies? There aren't any – "  
  
The older man finally caught on. "My God, I should be declared mentally incompetent. You're right, son." He fiddled with the console in front of him, read the results, and smacked his palm flat against the surface, hard enough to startle the others. "No traces of Xeryan casualties. No weapons signatures. Nothing to indicate that there was ever a battle here. Not… a… bloody… thing."  
  
Billy nodded, the beginnings of a smile on his face, as he caught his father's train of thought. "Scorched earth policy."  
  
"Exactly. Not Iannos' usual style, but not a bad idea," said Peter, approval in his tone.  
  
Taia looked from one to the other, bewildered. "Scorched – earth? I do not – "  
  
Jason crossed to his sister, crouching down to look her in the face. "So'Vran hasn't been here. They did it themselves, Tai, to cover their tracks." Her sudden slouch back into the seat conveyed her relief better than any words could have done.  
  
"All right, then, Iannos," muttered Peter, more to himself than anyone else, "so where are you, and how do I find you?"  
  
With a last glance at Taia to make sure she was all right, Billy joined his father. "If we knew what frequencies So'Vran is likely to be scanning, we could stay under the radar, so to speak." His long fingers tapped out a sequence of numbers. "This'll give us a wide-band sweep, but it's not without risk." He sent a questioning look toward the others, his index finger hovering over the final key. "So?"  
  
Taia slowly got up from her seat, exhaustion in every line of her slim frame. Wearily she bent over the console, examining what Billy had programmed. Without a word she made a few adjustments, editing the sequence here, adding some numbers there. She nodded briefly, then left the cabin, barely navigating the narrow doorway, waving Billy away when he would have helped.  
  
They watched her go. "Damn So'Vran for what he's done to that girl," Peter gritted angrily.  
  
Jason put a hand on Billy's shoulder. "I'll go," he volunteered. "You take care of business." He went after his sister, concern on his handsome face.  
  
After a moment Billy turned back to the computer screen and made a strangled noise. "What?" Tommy wanted to know.  
  
Billy pointed a finger at the adjusted scanning screen, suddenly lit up with tiny, sparkling lights, moving toward their position. "Guys… we've got company."  
  
*******************  
  
The group of muddy, black-armored figures crept closer. They carried lethal- looking energy weapons that had seen better days; reflective visors obscured their faces. One of them gestured to the large silver pod. "Who do you think they are?" the helmeted figure asked another, his voice squawking through the communicator.  
  
The figure in the lead shrugged, looking back over the group, then forward to the gleaming spacecraft. "Stay down."  
  
The first figure made a grab for the second and missed as she lit out for the ship. "Damn it, Aji!" he growled into his helmet comm. "What are you trying to prove?"  
  
"Shut up, Deorth, and keep your men down until I say so," she said. The dark figure reached the spacecraft and leaned back against the metallic shell, gesturing to the others. "Move into position."  
  
"Caution, Aji. They could be friendly," said Deorth as he hustled into position with the others.  
  
"I could be a medruni. But I am not," her voice crackled over the comm. "Hostile until proven otherwise."  
  
"Aji…"  
  
He was ignored. Aji's voice, over a broadband frequency, brooked no argument. "Attention alien ship. You will exit now and give yourselves into our custody, or we will open fire." The black-clad figures leveled weapons at the entrance, waiting. With a hiss of escaping air the door to the pod slid open; the watchers tensed.  
  
A middle-aged man in a pewter-colored pressure suit came out, hands raised.  
  
"Name?" Aji demanded.  
  
"P'Tyr Krann." Two other men joined him; these were younger. Black-gloved fingers twitched ever so slightly on their triggers. "This is my son, Billy, and his friend, Tommy Oliver," the older man said loudly.  
  
"How many others?"  
  
"Two," P'Tyr Krann said. He seemed to want to say more, but waited.  
  
Aji took careful aim at his head, ignoring the younger Krann's hissed intake of breath. "Bring them out."  
  
P'Tyr called over his shoulder without taking his eyes off Aji. "Jason, Taia, you'd better get out here."  
  
"Taia?" Deorth said involuntarily, lowering his weapon slightly. "Guardian?"  
  
"Impossible," Aji snapped. "Guardian's dead."  
  
"No," said Taia, stepping from the spacecraft. "These are friends, Aji."  
  
Aji started, flinching back at the sight of her. "Lower your weapons," she bit out after the briefest pause. "Welcome back, Guardian." With that Aji turned and walked away.  
  
*******************  
  
"You were right, Tommy. Deorth here tells me the base has moved north of here." Peter clapped him on the back in passing as he led the troop of soldiers onto the ship. "Are you sure your docking bay will hold her?" This last was addressed to the Xeryan second in command.  
  
Deorth removed his helmet, revealing a crop of spiky blond hair and a pair of intelligent gray eyes. He shrugged. "It should, though I do not know the exact dimensions. If it does not… we cannot leave the ship for So'Vran's armies to find."  
  
Peter shot the soldier a grin. "Let's just hope she does. I'd rather not burn her." He fed the coordinates Deorth supplied into the navigational computer. "What about your leader?"  
  
"Aji?" Deorth raised his pale eyebrows. "It has been a difficult week for her. She would perhaps prefer to meet us there." He glanced uncertainly at Taia, who looked confused.  
  
"Was it I she sought to avoid? But – we have been friends since childhood…"  
  
Jason chimed in. "So what's her problem?"  
  
Deorth shrugged. "It would be best if we left this place; all your questions will be answered when we are safely at the base." 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 13  
  
A tall, silver-haired man dressed head to toe in gray met them anxiously.  
  
"Counselor Jerawyr," Peter clasped the man's forearm in greeting. "It has been a long time, my friend."  
  
"Too long, P'Tyr." Jerawyr bobbed his head with a small smile. "This is your son, I can see that," he nodded at Billy, "and this can be no one other than Iannos' son, and Taia's brother."  
  
"Jason," the dark-haired young man smiled, grasping Jerawyr's forearm as he had seen Peter do. "And this is our friend Tommy."  
  
The tall Counselor greeted Tommy, then folded Taia in a hug. "The spirits have blessed us, that you have returned, Guardian."  
  
She returned the embrace. "Where is my father, Jerawyr?"  
  
He frowned, shaking his head. "I had best take you to him."  
  
*****************  
  
He lay so still; only the gentle rise and fall of his chest gave any indication that Iannos K'Vlir still lived. Jason stared at him, this figure who had haunted most of his waking hours from childhood, ever since he'd been told he was adopted. It was strange, but even the holographic image seemed to have more substance than this puppet lying on the examining bed, his hair and beard standing in stark contrast to the unnatural whiteness of his skin.  
  
Taia growled. "What happened?"  
  
Jerawyr sighed. "He went after the traitor. But they were waiting for him."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Only a few days ago." Jerawyr shook his head, adjusting a console at the foot of the bed slightly. "When he was found yesterday, he was as you see him now."  
  
Taia fell silent. Billy looked at his love, who was obviously in the throes of some internal struggle. "Who found him?" he asked. "How?"  
  
Jerawyr flickered a glance at Deorth, who had followed them into the med bay. "Aji," the blond soldier supplied. "She went after him, refused to rest until he was found. She risked her life repeatedly to bring him back to us."  
  
Tommy frowned. "That doesn't jibe with the way she greeted us. She acted like we had the plague. Why?"  
  
There was a long silence, during which Deorth and Jerawyr exchanged looks, each glancing nervously at Taia.  
  
"You may as well tell me." Taia folded her arms across her chest.  
  
"The traitor…" Jerawyr grasped her by the upper arms, his expression earnest. "You must not seek revenge against the innocent, Guardian." The disdainful look she gave him expressed her opinion of that statement. "She knew nothing of his perfidy."  
  
"Tell me," was her only response.  
  
"Frid. It was Frid Resgro who betrayed us to So'Vran. He, who engineered your capture, and that of Paladin." Whatever Taia had been expecting, clearly this was not it, as astonishment and hurt and fury warred on her face.  
  
"That is impossible!" she spat out. "He and my father are as brothers! He would not – could not – where is Aji?"  
  
Jerawyr shook her. "Swear to me, Guardian. She has been though enough."  
  
"Deorth," Tommy said quietly. "What does Jerawyr mean, no revenge against the innocent? Who does he mean?"  
  
"I told you, Aji has had a difficult week. Frid Resgro is her father."  
  
"Billy," Peter's voice broke in urgently. "I need your help here." The younger scientist went to his father. "Same technology as used against Taia. They're trying not just to kill Iannos, but to destroy the Paladin energy as well. Get in there." Billy nodded, liquid bronze already flowing over him.  
  
Jason drew his attention from his father to meet Jerawyr's gaze. "This Frid Resgro… is he still alive?"  
  
"He has joined So'Vran's armies. We presume he lives," said Deorth.  
  
Jason gave a cold smile. "I can change that." Tommy put a warning hand on his friend's arm, but Jason roughly shook him off, his dark gaze returning to his father's face.  
  
Long, silent moments ticked by as the metallic bronze form of Sentinel sat by Iannos' side, unmoving, while Peter dismantled So'Vran's handiwork; finally the older man drew a deep breath. "Done," he said quietly. "Fortunately there wasn't anywhere near the damage Taia had suffered. He'll be fine, though he'll probably sleep for a while."  
  
"Will you find me when he wakes?" Taia asked, still frowning.  
  
"Of course," Jerawyr gave a slight bow. "Where will you be?"  
  
"Talking to Aji." With that she stalked purposefully from the room, the door shutting behind her with a mournful thump.  
  
******************  
  
They were still refusing to look at her, Aji noted as she returned to base, parking the troop hoverskid and hopping lightly to the ground. People she had fought alongside, people she had known all her life, were turning away as she approached rather than acknowledge her. Her lips thinned beneath the visor.  
  
Their good opinions mattered little right now. What mattered was So'Vran's ultimate defeat. She would give her life to that cause, and perhaps, in time, she would be remembered kindly.  
  
And Taia was alive, thank the spirits. At least her father did not have that blood on his hands. Though Aji did not relish facing Guardian when she discovered the truth.  
  
She sat wearily on a low bench and pulled off her helmet, running both hands through her tousled red hair. For the thousandth time Aji wondered how her father could have so cavalierly destroyed so many lives of those who loved him. And who knew how many more would die because of his betrayal?  
  
She clenched her jaw. None. This she swore. This was her reason to live, and to die if need be. Once she had held other dreams, other hopes. But that was another Aji, in another life.  
  
"Aji."  
  
She glanced up to see the person she most dreaded facing. "Tai."  
  
*******************  
  
Jerawyr spoke in low tones. "We were preparing to send him to you as we did Taia. But there was a problem with the pod, though I do not know why. We readied it using your files concerning the dimensional barrier, as we did for the pod that carried Guardian."  
  
"Really?" Peter frowned. "Show me." Jerawyr pulled them up on the computer; Peter's frown deepened as he studied them.  
  
"Should we go after Taia?" asked Tommy. "She's pretty angry."  
  
"With reason, don't you think?" Jason nodded toward his father. "How exactly do we know that this Aji wasn't in on this?" This last was directed at Deorth, who bristled.  
  
"If you knew Aji you would not ask that."  
  
"Maybe. But we don't. Maybe we should go have a talk with her too."  
  
Deorth moved to block their exit. "If by 'talk' you mean 'blame' you would not be the first. She is not responsible for Frid Resgro's choices. And Iannos owes her his life. She went after him alone, Jason, before any of us realized who was behind our recent travails. And it was Aji who brought him home."  
  
Billy's voice cut across the silence that followed. "I know you're looking for someone to blame, Jase; God knows if I were in your shoes I'd want someone to beat on too. But she shouldn't have to pay for her father's crimes."  
  
"Son?" Peter interrupted them. "Come take a look at this and tell me I'm being paranoid."  
  
****************  
  
The redhead looked up at Taia. A purple-black bruise decorated Aji's cheekbone and her lower lip was split. "Go ahead; I will not fight you."  
  
Taia struggled to hold onto her anger, but it was slipping as she registered her friend's sadness. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You wish to punish me for what my father did, I can see it in your eyes. If it will ease your pain, I shall not fight you." Aji stood. "Come, Guardian, do not make me wait."  
  
"Is that what happened here?" She reached to touch the bruise, but Aji jerked back, and Taia felt her temper simmer again. "Who did this to you?"  
  
Aji shrugged. "What can it possibly matter?"  
  
"It matters to me."  
  
Aji's green eyes flared in sudden rage. "Why should it? My father nearly had you destroyed, tried to kill your father. His blood is my own," she shouted, drawing the attention of several passers-by. "Come, then, Guardian, do that for which you were born!" She gave Taia a mighty shove, her body canted forward, her fists clenched. "Here is your enemy. Here! Come then and take me!"  
  
Taia shoved back. "Damn you, Aji, I should! You thick-skulled fool, how dare you assume your father's guilt? Did you know what he planned? DID YOU?" Energy began to crackle around her.  
  
"NO! I knew nothing! I was blind, a fool!" Aji launched herself at Tai, who fought back, throwing the slim redhead aside. Aji rolled easily to her feet, fists at the ready.  
  
Taia went on the offensive then, shoulder down as she tackled Aji to the ground. "You will listen to me, Aji," she growled. "The fault is not yours. You did not know. And you brought my father home."  
  
"But I should have known! I should have stopped him!" With a burst of strength Aji threw Taia off, getting to her feet. "Come then, Taia, it is what these people gather to see. My blood owes yours a debt, and I would see it paid!"  
  
Strong arms pulled Taia back from the fray, wrapping around her securely. "Stop this, Tai. She doesn't deserve this," came Billy's voice, warm in her ear.  
  
"I was trying not to fight her, William, but she would not have it," panted Taia.  
  
Jason made a grab for Aji as she would have come at Taia again, grasping her arm, spinning her around and into the solid wall of his chest. She tilted her head back; they froze, staring at one another.  
  
Suddenly Aji broke free. "No," she moaned brokenly.  
  
"Aji—" Jason reached for her, but she dodged back. "Aji, wait—!" She merely shook her head, never taking her eyes from Jason, backing away until she was free of the crowd that had gathered; then she turned on her heel and ran. Jason simply watched her go, the oddest expression on his face.  
  
"Now what was that about?" Billy asked, his blue gaze resting on his old friend. "He looks like he's been hit by lightning."  
  
Taia nodded slowly. "He has. His blood—it sings." 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 14  
  
Billy rubbed away a smudge of dirt from Taia's cheek. "You were seconds from summoning Guardian, weren't you?"  
  
"To my shame, I was. Aji has always excelled at unleashing my temper, though she is my dearest friend." Taia smiled bitterly. "At least she was. Has my father awakened, then?"  
  
"Not when I left the med bay, though he may have by now," Billy said. "But we do have a problem."  
  
**************  
  
"Man, you've got a problem," Tommy shook his head sympathetically as they walked back to the med bay. "Are you sure it was the Bloodsong?"  
  
Jason shot him a look. "It isn't as though I've got anything to compare it to, Tom. But, yeah, I'm pretty sure."  
  
Tommy snorted. "Nice choice."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"She doesn't seem too happy about it."  
  
"Thanks for the insight, Sherlock."  
  
Tom shrugged. "She's been through a lot, bro. She'll come around."  
  
"Maybe." Jason looked back, in the direction Aji had run.  
  
*****************  
  
Iannos sat up slowly, hoping the world would stop tilting. Someone spoke his name, and he looked around gingerly, holding his head. "P'Tyr!" he said in some surprise. "If you are here, then…"  
  
"Taia's fine," Peter crossed the room to his old friend with a smile. "Jason too. You'll see them shortly, I'll wager. How are you feeling?"  
  
"As though I have been ingested by a grat'lest and come out the other end," Iannos groaned slightly, then remembered something. "By the spirits… Aji. Where is Aji? She must be told gently…"  
  
Peter shook his head. "It's a bit late for that, Iannos. Aji knows."  
  
Iannos shook his head sadly. "Poor child; she had no way of knowing of her father's treachery. Her heart is true, of that I am certain."  
  
Peter studied his friend. "I don't disagree with you, I'm just curious. How can you be?"  
  
Iannos looked at him. "Grief can do strange and awful things to a man, P'Tyr, as you and I have cause to know. When his lifebound was killed in the raid on Thulera, Frid became withdrawn and driven, spending little time with Aji, always focused on the battle with So'Vran. Aji came to live with Taia and I, while Frid took foolish chances, leaping into situations, ignoring the odds. He was taken by the enemy, held prisoner for a time. What they did to him I do not know, but he told me once he wished I had not brought him back." He sighed heavily. "It is true I did not see that he would turn against me. But I know Aji as well as I know my own daughter, and I would trust her with my life."  
  
The scientist nodded. "You already have, Iannos. It was Aji who brought you home."  
  
Iannos got to his feet. "I must find her; she is carrying the burden of guilt by association, I am certain, and there are those among us who will be all too willing to let her."  
  
Peter shook his head. "I'm afraid that will have to wait. We have a problem."  
  
The door to the med bay opened to admit Jason, Taia, Billy, and Tommy. Taia flew into her father's embrace.  
  
"Are you well, little one?" his deep voice was full of affection. She nodded wordlessly, burying her head in her father's shoulder. "Shh. It's all right, Tai. I missed you." He stroked the dusky hair, tilting up her face to look at her. "Come, what have you been up to? Your face is dirty." She sniffed loudly, wiping her tears with the heel of one hand, reaching for her brother with the other.  
  
"Father, this is Jason. He has come home at last, just as you said."  
  
Jason looked at his father uncertainly; Iannos stared at him for a moment, not quite able to believe he was finally there. "My son," he whispered, and then he wrapped trembling arms around both his children for the first time, and nothing was said for a long while.  
  
Peter slipped an arm around Billy's shoulder; when Iannos emerged from the embrace, he stepped forward, tugging his son along. "Iannos, this is my son William, called Billy. He carries the power of Sentinel, as did his mother before him."  
  
Iannos grinned. "He could be no other. He has a look of Nelin about him as well."  
  
Peter chuckled. "He does indeed. I hope you will be glad to know that he is now your son as well, as Taia has become my daughter."  
  
"Lifebound? Really?" Iannos looked from his daughter to Billy. "It doesn't seem possible that you are old enough." He chuckled, then spoke more seriously. "I honor your Bloodsong, my daughter. I welcome this union."  
  
Billy looked down at Taia with a blinding smile; she reached up and kissed him. "I told you not to worry so," she said teasingly.  
  
"Father," Jason said the word awkwardly, as though not yet used to it. He gestured to Tommy, who stood slightly to one side. "This is –"  
  
"Tommy, I know," Iannos filled in. "Tommy Oliver, one of your closest friends and allies, once the Green Ranger, then White. P'Tyr has sent me images of you over the years; he figured in many of them. I am glad to know you, Tommy."  
  
"I'm honored to know you, sir," returned Tommy.  
  
"Dad," said Billy with an apologetic glance around at the others, "we've got sort of a pressing matter to deal with."  
  
"Yes, you mentioned a problem," said Iannos. "What has happened?"  
  
"Jerawyr brought it to my attention," Peter began. "He mentioned that they were having a problem with the specs for your pod; since you'd built one for Tai successfully, it seemed to me that something must have happened in just the last few days, so I looked at the files. At first there didn't seem to be anything wrong; but you know how easy it is to miss errors when you are the one who wrote them, so I asked Billy to have a look, and he found the problem."  
  
The young genius led them to the computer console, his fingers flying over the keyboard to show them what he'd found. "The files are corrupted by a slow-moving virus, nearly undetectable until the file is useless, garbled. It's been chewing its way through your databanks for a couple of days, beginning in the files on the dimensional barrier." Billy frowned, pointing to a readout on the monitor. "I checked the log and it seems those files were copied a short time ago, probably immediately before the virus was introduced. I was able to stop its progress, but the damage is irreparable. And somebody has information on the barrier."  
  
Iannos' shoulders slumped. "Frid Resgro."  
  
"He seems a likely suspect," interposed Peter. "The question is, what will he do with the information?"  
  
"Take it to So'Vran," said a voice from the doorway. They turned in a body to see Aji standing there, her helmet under her arm. "You know what he is going to do with it. So'Vran wants that barrier down. Those files are just the tool he needs."  
  
Jason said nothing, his dark eyes burning as he stared at her; the others started forward.  
  
Aji's chin raised a notch as Taia faced her. "I am sorry for my loss of temper, Aji. I ask you to forgive me."  
  
"There is nothing to forgive, Guardian."  
  
Taia was hurt. "Guardian? Aji, please… we are friends. Please do not shut me out."  
  
Aji looked at her steadily. "That was another life, Taia. I wish you well, but I have nothing to offer you."  
  
"Aji, my child," said Iannos gently, "do not let the foolishness of others destroy you." His fingers touched the bruise on her cheek gingerly. "You bear no responsibility for this."  
  
Her green eyes softened for a moment, then went flint-hard again. "No one can destroy what does not exist, Paladin. While I appreciate your concern, I merely came by to tell you that I am leaving immediately to track Frid Resgro, to prevent him from reaching So'Vran's stronghold in the Tarilean desert."  
  
Iannos sighed. "Not alone, Aji. The risk is too great."  
  
"It is my risk to take, Paladin."  
  
"And your life to lose, is that it?" Iannos' dark gaze grew stormy. "Do you not see, child, that this is the same road that led your father to ruin?" She was silent.  
  
"I'll go with her," said Jason quietly.  
  
That got a rise out of Aji. "You shall not!"  
  
He folded his muscular arms across his chest. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Not trying, doing."  
  
"I don't think so, Red."  
  
Tommy stepped between them. "Play nice, kids. I'm going too."  
  
They both looked at him. "No!"  
  
Billy smiled slightly. "At least they agree on something. I'm going."  
  
"And I," said Taia.  
  
"Very well," said Iannos. "All five shall go. P'Tyr and I will try to contact Eltar, to discover if there is a way to protect the barrier. I give you your orders: stay together; the desert winds can bring change when least expected. Use your powers judiciously; for they burn brightly, but can burn too hot, and leave you empty. And So'Vran may find you before you are ready if he has your power signature to trace. Take a runabout; a hoverskid is faster but will offer you little protection from the elements." He sighed, looking at each of them in turn. "Taia, remember you are still healing from your recent ordeal. Billy, explore the parameters of your power slowly, do not push yourself too far or too fast until you are certain of the extent of your abilities. Tommy, you will need to go with Aji to be outfitted with armor and weapons. Jason…" He held out his hands. "Come here."  
  
Jason did so, a question in his dark eyes.  
  
"Sentinel and Guardian were set free long ago by the deaths of their conduits; Paladin is still tied to me." Iannos took his son's face between his hands. "I bequeath that tie to you." Gold liquid poured from beneath the older man's skin to cover his fingers, his palms, his forearms… and then it came from Jason himself as though in answer to a silent call, covering his head and face, then gushing from every pore to cover his body completely. And finally Jason stood revealed as Paladin, his golden energy pulsing with a faint beat. Iannos concentrated for a moment more, and a second Paladin stood before the astonished group.  
  
Peter was the first to recover his voice. "I had no idea you could do that."  
  
Iannos grinned. "It has been many generations since any power has been shared. Long overdue, in my opinion."  
  
Peter merely nodded, looking at the five. "Be careful, all of you." 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. The first scene is for Carrie, to answer a question I had pretty much ignored.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 15  
  
  
  
While Aji took Tommy to the armory to get outfitted, Deorth helped the other three equip a runabout, filling it with supplies, water, and ammunition.  
  
"Deorth," said Taia tentatively. He looked at her. "Who hurt Aji? She would not tell me."  
  
He shook his head. "Bubo, Beni and Hezia." At Jason's thunderous frown, he went on. "Understand, when your father was taken and Frid Resgro's treachery exposed, there was chaos here for a time. Frid had disappeared; Aji was missing as well and many believed she had gone with him." Deorth shrugged. "I know Aji better than most. I knew she had gone after him, but it was difficult to convince more than a few. And then she came back, and they attacked her before they realized she had rescued Paladin. And Aji… would not fight back. She still had her armor on, fortunately, or they would have done real damage. It was clear what they intended."  
  
There was an audible growl from Jason, quickly bitten off. "These three – where can I find them?"  
  
"Yes," chimed in a stone-faced Billy. "I think we'd all like to talk to them."  
  
"I'll take you to them now if you like." Deorth led them from the docking bay. "You should know I already confronted each of them last night and demonstrated clearly that what they did was unwise."  
  
The surroundings were becoming familiar. "Deorth," said Billy slowly. "This is the way to the med bay."  
  
A smug smile crept over the blond soldier's face. "Yes, it is."  
  
****************  
  
The runabout hummed to a stop behind a ridge of mustard-yellow rock. "The coordinates where I found Paladin are southwest of here. We will leave the runabout hidden here; it is easy to detect, and while unlikely, it is not impossible that the base is still inhabited." Aji shouldered her weapon and jammed her helmet on her head, leading the way. The others each grabbed a weapon and a pack of supplies and followed.  
  
"How far?" Tommy asked, wiping his visor free of dirt.  
  
"About an hour's walk," Aji said shortly.  
  
Tommy caught up with her, matching her gait. "You don't have to be like this, Aji. Nobody here blames you for –"  
  
"Untrue. I am here."  
  
He thought about that. "You mean you blame yourself. Honestly, you Xeryans speak so cryptically I sometimes have a hard time following you."  
  
She glanced at him, her expression unreadable behind her visor. "I shall endeavor to accommodate your needs by copying your speech patterns." There was a brief pause. "I'll try to talk the way you do."  
  
He grinned inside his helmet. "Thanks."  
  
******************  
  
In a hidden place, not far distant, It watched the party as they trudged across the hard desert floor. "These I choose," It whispered hoarsely, in a voice last used millennia ago. "Bring them." Its robed companion, still for so long, opened mismatched eyes, nodded once, and began to chant in a language long dead.  
  
******************  
  
The desert landscape was stark, forbidding, an eerie beauty in its bleakness. The dirt and rocks were all of a similar color, the horizon broken by a craggy mountain range. The ground was baked hard, not sandy, and deeply scarred by gouges and cracks big enough to walk in. Dust filled the air, creeping into helmets, clogging their noses, covering them until their skin and hair and clothing matched the landscape.  
  
They were about halfway to their goal when a few fat raindrops splatted onto the ground in front of them, sending up little puffs of dust. They looked up to see a black cloud forming overhead, the vapors moving fast and gathering in volume.  
  
"Uh oh," said Tommy.  
  
"Shelter," Taia's voice was urgent. "There." Some distance ahead loomed a rocky outcropping above the rest of the ground. She began to jog toward it, the rest of the party following close behind.  
  
CR-RACK! Lightning arced across the lowering sky, followed immediately by thunder loud enough to shake the ground. A distant roar moved closer, faster than they could outrun it, though they were running flat out now. They looked behind them to see a gray wall of rain and wind closing on them. "Hurry!" urged Jason.  
  
A second roar, deeper than the first, rumbled nearer. The gouge nearest them shook and groaned as a torrent of white water thundered by, sweeping dirt and debris before it, tearing at the walls of the channel it was forming.  
  
"Flash flood," yelled Billy above the howl of the wind. "We need to get to higher ground!"  
  
Water was rushing past the base of the outcropping; they helped each other up, slipping and sliding in the teeming rain. They sat, huddled, on the top of the rocky bank, watching the wild water roar past, heaving and hurling in abandon.  
  
Billy looked up at the sky, squinting into the rain, the swirling drops somehow hypnotic. His blue eyes suddenly grew wide with horror and he looked over to two of his companions where they sat near the edge of the outcropping. "Oh – God –NO! Tommy – Aji – get away from there—"  
  
But his warning came too late as the area where Tommy sat disintegrated beneath him. Aji dove forward, grasping his wrist, and then that part of the bank eroded suddenly, dropping them both into the wild maelstrom of the flood.  
  
"NOOOOOO!" screamed Jason, his deep voice breaking. As one they summoned their powers; silver, bronze and gold leapt into the storm, buffeted by the harsh wind and streaming rain, racing through the air to chase the rapids.  
  
Do you see them?   
  
There – a hand – no – it's gone—  
  
This can't be happening… oh, God, let them be all right…  
  
Where are they? I can't –   
  
What's that? Is that –   
  
I saw it, in my mind – I knew it was going to – but there was no time…  
  
The wind died, the rain slowed, and still the trio searched, following the whitewater as it carved its way through the desert floor, now turned to thick mud. Then, with a low, slow moan, the water formed a vortex and disappeared into the ground, the roof of the cave it made collapsing in the vacuum left behind it. They stared, disbelieving, at the crater of mud and rubble; Taia attacked it, digging furiously, heaving rocks away, trying to keep the mud from sliding in to take their place. Jason and Billy joined her, their breath coming quickly, the muscles in their arms and backs bunching from the strain as they dug frantically into the mire. At last Billy fell back, silently acknowledging the futility of the task, wiping angry tears on his arm. Taia simply went to the ground where she was, wracked with frustration and grief. And Jason collapsed to his knees, hands fisted and face to the sky as he roared out his anguish.  
  
*******************  
  
Silence. Nothing but a heartbeat, steady and slow; and then consciousness followed, black to gray to white, and other senses began to register. Water pushed gently at his lower body; earth, fertile and rich, cushioned his cheek. Tommy coughed, spewing dirty yellow-brown water. He choked, he vomited; at last he groaned and pulled himself further up on the riverbank, looking around slowly.  
  
A flash of russet caught his attention; he dragged himself to the unconscious girl's side, feeling for a pulse.  
  
Thank God, it was there. Faint, but unmistakable. "Come on, Aji," he muttered, gently slapping her cheek. "Come on. Wake up." Her eyelids fluttered.  
  
"I'm – ugh!" she rolled over and retched, ridding herself of the flood waters, then returned to her back with a groan. "Are you all right? What about the others?"  
  
"I don't know," he said truthfully. "I'm not even sure where we are. It sure as shit isn't a desert."  
  
Aji sat up painfully, looking around her. Huge trees arched above them, heavily hung with vines, their tops too high to see. A faint steam rose from the ground; the air was hot, humid, smelling of earth and growing things. A thick carpet of moss covered the ground, small pools of water gathered in the natural wells of dark gray rocks. Shrubbery grew in between the trees, their leaves huge and dotted with moisture. Behind Aji and Tommy was a river, clean and clear, springing from the ground. Rock walls rose beyond the river's mouth and continued until obscured by the verdant jungle. She squinted overhead; the light was faint, diffuse, streaked with unmoving gray. Her eyes widened as she looked at her companion.  
  
"I know," he said. "We're not in Kansas anymore."  
  
She thought about that for a while. "Evidently not." A quick inventory revealed that they had lost their helmets and weapons, though each still had a utility knife strapped to one leg. Tommy's pack was also gone. The black uniforms they wore were in rags, choked with silt and yellow mud. They both had been banged about, discovering several new bruises and scrapes, but Tommy had a real problem: a several inch long gash on one calf. "Can you move your foot?" Aji asked, probing it with gentle fingers. He grimaced, but moved it. "Not broken, then. Here." She cut the black fabric of his pants leg free and rinsed the piece thoroughly in the river, tying it securely around the wound.  
  
"Thanks," he smiled at her. "We should look for the others." They got to their feet and walked along the riverbank, Tommy leaning heavily on Aji, limping.  
  
"You should get off that leg," Aji said, but he shook his head.  
  
"Not until we're sure about Jase and the others."  
  
They staggered a while longer. "I think we're alone," Aji said quietly. "With their powers they would have been more easily able to escape the flood anyway."  
  
Tommy sighed, sitting heavily on a stone, stretching his injured leg in front of him. "You're probably right. Hey – what's that?" A dark shape bobbed in the water, caught on a branch that hung over the river.  
  
Aji smiled, for the first time in their acquaintance. "That's your pack. Wait here," and she waded into the water, bringing back the pack with a grin. "This should make things a whole lot easier."  
  
"Easier is good." He winced as she found a small bottle of antiseptic and treated his leg.  
  
"Give it a moment; that's also an analgesic. When you feel up to it we'll try to find a place to camp."  
  
She was right. After a couple of minutes the throbbing faded to a dull ache, and Tommy stood. "Let's go, before this stuff wears off."  
  
They wandered inland, Aji scouting ahead and returning to Tommy with directions. He found a large branch to use as a makeshift crutch and was able to make slow but steady progress, though it wore him out after a few hours.  
  
"I'm not sure how much farther I can go," he panted, leaning on a tree.  
  
She nodded. "It's fine; we know as little about one place as another. Let me look around a bit. You rest here." He nodded and she set off; a short time later she was back, her green eyes wide. "I have something to show you." Aji slipped under Tommy's arm and helped him forward. As they cleared a particularly dense shrubbery, the duo stopped dead.  
  
"Holy crap, would you look at that?" said Tommy, mouth agape in awe.  
  
Before them rose a huge structure that could only be called a temple. Massive stone pillars climbed upward to disappear into the mists above; they were as thickly hung with vines as the trees surrounding them, and deeply incised with unfamiliar glyphs. The floor was smooth and round, inlaid with color to form a symmetrical design. Beyond this area was an archway, also deeply incised with delicate, interlocking designs, and beyond that, darkness. In the center of the round floor was a small depression, and inlaid into it a pair of stones, one dark, one light, both opalescent and beautiful. They were carved to interlock with one another in perfect balance, something like the Chinese symbol of Yin and Yang, Tommy thought, and said as much.  
  
"Balance… yes, I see," said Aji thoughtfully.  
  
"Is any of this familiar to you?" Tommy limped slowly to one of the pillars, touching the glyphs gingerly. "This writing, do you know it?"  
  
Aji examined the symbols. "No. I've never seen anything like this before. I've never even heard of anything like this… except…" She paused, her brow furrowing. "It has been said that in the old days, the early days of So'Vran's domination, there were places where the spirits of Paladin and Sentinel and Guardian could speak to their chosen. So'Vran is said to have destroyed them all, but perhaps this is one he missed?"  
  
Tommy nodded. "It's as likely as anything else." He walked haltingly around part of the perimeter of the floor. "And it's dry. Do you want to camp here?"  
  
"Why not?" Aji nodded. "It's not as though there's anyone still here." 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed. Many thanks to Carrie and Loog for putting up with me while I wrestled with this chapter.  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out ScarletDeva's 'Pink Shade of Fear' and Rach's Scars. These are some quality PR stories.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 16  
  
As the floodwaters abated around them the three grief-stricken companions made their way back to the runabout in silence. After an event of such violence any clues left at the enemy base were surely obliterated; and they were painfully aware that not only did this mean that Frid's trail was cold, but that they'd lost their friends for nothing.  
  
"Has he said anything to you since…?" Taia whispered to Billy.  
  
"Not a word," he replied soberly, adjusting their flight plan. They could hear the slight sounds of an elaborate kata behind them as Jason moved swiftly and surely: the slip of bare feet on metal, the occasional expulsion of breath, the rustle of clothing. He'd begun it immediately after takeoff and continued without a pause for the last hour.  
  
Jason? Taia tried tentatively.  
  
Not now. Behind them, Jason paused, then continued in his precise movements.  
  
She looked at Billy, who raised his eyebrows; in answer she shook her head. Billy sighed. "Jason," he said aloud. There was no response. "Jase!"  
  
"No," came the deep voice, clipped and angry.  
  
"Keep us on course," Billy said briefly to Taia, who nodded as he got to his feet. "Jason, that's enough."  
  
Jason ignored him, arms slicing through the air. Billy caught one fist as it swung by.  
  
"Let go." A muscle twitching in Jason's jaw was the only indication of his inward turmoil.  
  
"No." For emphasis, Billy caught the other arm as well, holding his friend immobile.  
  
"Thin ice, Bill," Jason growled.  
  
Billy shrugged. "Whatever it takes, Jase." His friend looked at him, dark eyes flinty and furious. Billy met his gaze with an ice-blue stare. "We're all grieving, Jason. Tommy was my friend too. But we've still got a job to do."  
  
Jason jerked free. "I see. You know how I feel, do you?" He folded his arms across his chest. "Let me ask you something. What if it had been Tai instead of Aji?"  
  
Billy paused, the very idea chilling him. "I can't even imagine," he said honestly. "It would be like tearing out a piece of me. But Aji wasn't your lifebound."  
  
"No." Jason turned away. "But she should have been."  
  
*****************  
  
"Here, put your leg up on this." Aji shimmied the pack around so Tommy could prop up his injured limb. She eyed him critically. "You look exhausted."  
  
"No, I'm good." He gave a jaw-cracking yawn, and Aji chuckled a little. Tommy grinned at her. "Okay. Maybe a little tired. How are you holding up?"  
  
She stretched. "I'm all right. Once I get this fire started you should try to get some rest; it's the best thing for that leg." Suiting actions to words, in a short time they had a small but merry blaze going at the very edge of the temple floor, carefully banked with rocks. Aji sat against a pillar and beckoned to Tommy. "Come on, you can lean on me. It'll be more comfortable than a stone floor, anyway." He nodded and made his way over to her, curling up with his head pillowed on her leg, his hazel eyes fluttering closed.  
  
"Wake me when it's my turn… to keep…watch…" and just like that he was out. Aji leaned her head back against the pillar, her thoughts as bleak and dark as the starless sky overhead.  
  
**************  
  
He wasn't sure what woke him, until another tear splatted on his face. Tommy shifted a little, sitting up gingerly.  
  
"I didn't mean to wake you," Aji said quietly, wiping her face with the heel of her hand.  
  
"It's okay, I sleep too much anyway." He thumbed away a tear that had strayed over by her ear. "What's going on?"  
  
She shrugged. "Just contemplating the ruin my life's become."  
  
Tommy sighed. "Aji, it's not your fault. You can't be responsible for what other people do."  
  
"Can't I?" She shrugged. "I can't help it, Tommy. I keep going over it in my head, thinking that there had to have been something I could have done, some way I could have warned Taia and Iannos. Something I could have said to convince my father that what he was doing was wrong."  
  
"I know. You think if you had done things differently, everything would have turned out fine. But you know, sometimes shit just happens, and there's nothing anyone can do but ride it out."  
  
She sniffed. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."  
  
Tommy smiled. "I am. When I first met Jason and the gang I was under the control of an evil being, who used me as a tool to hurt them, even to try to kill them. After her hold over me was broken I spent a lot of time beating myself up about it, thinking there had to have been some way I could have gotten myself free, some way I could have stopped myself from hurting everyone. But it wasn't true, Aji. And it isn't true for you."  
  
She shook her head. "I should have been able to stop him, Tommy."  
  
"Aji, look at me." Uncertain green eyes met confident hazel. "You did stop him. He tried to kill Iannos, but he didn't. You stopped him."  
  
"I – " she stopped, confused.  
  
"Listen, Aji. If your father had destroyed So'Vran, would you take the credit?"  
  
She was indignant. "Of course not."  
  
"Then how can you take the blame for this?"  
  
"I – you –" There was a long pause, during which he could see her turning it over in her head, trying to find a flaw, and realizing for the first time that she really held no responsibility. And then, like removing an infected splinter, came a painful release.  
  
"But how could he? Why did he do it?" With that she began to cry: real, hard, shuddering sobs, and Tommy merely held her, knowing the healing had begun. She muttered something into his chest between hiccuping sobs.  
  
"What?"  
  
She wiped her nose. "I never told anyone… He saw me, Tommy."  
  
"Who did? Your father? When?"  
  
Aji nodded. "When I went to find Iannos. I couldn't have fought my way out of there, so I planned carefully, moved quietly. I was so careful. They didn't even realize that he was gone. I had him on an antigrav, was making my way back to my hoverskid. I could have sworn the coast was clear, and I pulled Iannos forward, and there was Father in front of me. He was looking right at me. Up until that moment I kept hoping there was some mistake, that it would turn out not to be true. But there was the proof, right in front of me. I didn't even have time to pull my weapon; I ran, instead, as fast as I could. I was expecting any second to be attacked from behind. But it never happened." She sniffled. "I still don't know why he didn't call the guards."  
  
"Sure you do." Tommy looked at her sympathetically. "You're his daughter, Aji. He loves you. No matter what he's done, he loves you. And you know what?" He slipped an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay for you to still love him, too. It doesn't mean you're on his side."  
  
Aji leaned against him comfortably. "Tommy?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"It'll take me a while to process it all, but… thanks."  
  
He smiled. "You sleep now; I'll keep watch for a while."  
  
***************  
  
Billy sat motionless, his thumb resting on the commlink.  
  
Taia looked over at him, understanding in her dark eyes. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I just really don't want to make this call."  
  
"I know. Shall I do it?"  
  
"No, it's okay. I have to deal with it sometime. Base," he spoke into the link, "this is Sentinel."  
  
"I'm here, Billy," came his father's voice. "What's happened?"  
  
"Dad…" Billy took a deep breath. "We've had some casualties."  
  
"Oh, God, no."  
  
"Tommy and Aji are dead. Will you notify Zordon so he can let Tommy's family know?"  
  
"Tom – Tommy's – ohh, my God no…" there was a crackling sound, then Iannos' deep voice.  
  
"Aji's gone as well?" His voice broke. "My poor child… this is all too much. Such oppressive sadness, and now… How are Taia and Jason?"  
  
"We're holding it together. We've still got a job to do, and now more reason than ever to succeed." Billy sighed. "Barring any further inspiration we're heading for the desert citadel; hopefully we'll overtake Frid Resgro on the way."  
  
"Our hearts go with you all, Sentinel," said Iannos quietly.  
  
Peter spoke. "I love you, son, and Taia and Jason. Please tell them that for me."  
  
"I will, Dad. I'll be in touch." Billy flipped the commlink off, put his head down on his arms, and let his grief run free.  
  
****************  
  
"So tell me about this Bloodsong thing," Tommy said when Aji woke.  
  
She furrowed her brow. "But you've seen Taia and your friend Billy."  
  
"Oh, I know what it is. But what's it feel like?"  
  
"Oh." She grimaced. "Like it sounds: your blood thunders, your heart races. You don't know this person, yet you do. Everything in you bends toward them, like saplings in a storm."  
  
"Wow." He thought about it. "Does everyone on Xerya lifebond? What happens if you never meet your mate?"  
  
Aji shook her head. "No. Though it can happen for anyone, it's actually fairly rare. Most people just find someone compatible and settle down. Deorth had asked me, before I met Jason. I hadn't said I would; though I was going to. But now it wouldn't be fair, even if I refused the Song. Deorth deserves better than a rebound."  
  
Tommy frowned. "What happens if you meet your mate after you've already begun a life with someone? Do you just cast everything aside to be with that person, or do you refuse the bond?"  
  
"It depends on the person. Most people refuse the bond, honoring the commitment they've already made. But often, in that case, the two who could have been lifebound become close friends and find satisfaction that way." Aji grinned. "You men all think alike. It doesn't always have to be about sex, you know."  
  
Tommy chuckled, blushing faintly. "That's not the way Bill and Tai tell it." At that Aji threw back her head and laughed.  
  
*****************  
  
Taia sat next to her brother, tucking her legs under her. "What is it, Jason?"  
  
He looked at her, his eyes serious. "I need to ask you something, Tai."  
  
"Ask."  
  
"What do I do with all these… feelings?" He scowled darkly. "She's in my blood, Tai, even now. What do I do about it?"  
  
Taia took a moment, framing her words carefully. "You have some choices, Jason. You can refuse the Song, if you wish. The depth of emotion you feel will abate. But you will never hear the Bloodsong again." She met his gaze evenly. "Or you can accept it, sing the Bloodsong, and do so in her memory. Your pain will be great for a time, but you will never forget." Taia watched her brother process this. "Do you know which you want to do?"  
  
Jason stood. "Yes." He took a deep breath, raised his chin a notch, and chose. "I Sing."  
  
***************  
  
"There isn't anything you can compare it to on your world?"  
  
"No… though it sort of sounds the way I felt when I first met Kim." Tommy smiled at the memory.  
  
"Kim is your lover?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not any more. I used to think we'd be together forever, but I guess you always think that about your first love."  
  
Aji laid a hand on his arm. "What happened?"  
  
"She had an opportunity to pursue something that was important to her, and it meant she had to move quite a distance away." Tommy sighed. "I don't really know whether it was the distance or what, but we grew apart. I was busy at home with the Rangers; God, it seems we were always fighting something. And she met someone else, someone who was able to be there for her when I couldn't." He frowned, tracing the colorful pattern in the floor with a stick. "You know what really bugged me about it? I could handle that she'd fallen for another guy, that she'd found someone better for her than I was. But it always got to me that she didn't tell me face to face."  
  
Aji looked at him questioningly. "Well, what did she say when you spoke to her after she told you she'd found someone else?"  
  
He blushed. "I never did. I just… well, I thought if someone else could make her happier than I could, so be it. So I let her go."  
  
"And you've been alone ever since?" Aji asked, her wry expression showing what she thought of this self-sacrificing maneuver.  
  
"No. I dated Kat for a while, she's the one who took Kim's place on the team."  
  
"And in your heart?"  
  
He looked at her, wide eyed. "No, nobody could do that. But I care about Kat, a lot. I did my best, I just guess it wasn't enough." He shrugged. "She dumped me too, said I neglected her. I guess I did. Rocky treats her incredibly well, better than I ever could."  
  
There was a long silence, and then Aji giggled.  
  
Tommy looked down at her, hurt. "I must have missed the joke."  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that – you sound like me."  
  
"I what?"  
  
"I'm not good enough, other people are better, it's all my fault… sound familiar?"  
  
He stared at her. "This is completely different."  
  
She shrugged. "No, it's not. I was punishing myself for what someone else did. You're doing the same."  
  
"How do you come up with that?"  
  
Aji pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "It's easy to say you've forgiven yourself, Tommy. But it sounds to me as though what you were doing is pushing them away, because you weren't worthy. You weren't good enough."  
  
He started to speak, then stopped.  
  
Aji went on. "You can push someone away very effectively by falling short of their expectations. In short, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don't think you're good enough, so you prove it."  
  
There was another long silence. "Oh, my God," Tommy exhaled slowly. "There were times I didn't call Kim because I knew she wouldn't expect me to, even though I knew she would want me to. I lived… down… to her expectations, and they got lower and lower until… oh, crap."  
  
"Tommy?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're an idiot."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Just then something moved in the darkness beyond the arch; Aji leapt to her feet, knife in hand, her body between whatever it was and her injured friend. Another shuffling noise, and then a figure appeared.  
  
He was small, slight, his bald head shiny, his robes white and black. Obviously of great age, he still moved gracefully toward them, seeming to flow effortlessly over the stone floor of the temple. As he came closer they could see that one eye was an inky black, the pupil obscured by the dark iris. The other was so pale a gray as to be almost indistinguishable from the white of his eye. In that one the pupil stood out most startlingly.  
  
Aji fingered the hilt of her blade, unwilling to make any move that might be threatening. They were, after all, the interlopers here. She cast a nervous glance at Tommy, who spoke up diplomatically. "We apologize for intruding," he began. "We had no idea…"  
  
"No offense has been taken." The mysterious man's voice was rusty, as though he didn't use it much. "You are most welcome here. You have been Chosen." 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
Also, note to Carrie: you haven't read this one yet…  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out ScarletDeva's 'Pink Shade of Fear' and Rach's 'Scars'. These are some quality PR stories.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 17  
  
Trini came out of her bedroom tying a red elastic around the bottom of her braid, the only concession to her battle color in her outfit of unrelieved black. She toed on her flat black shoes and checked in the hall mirror, straightening her collar, grimacing slightly at her reflection. "This is the one thing I've dreaded, since we first became Rangers. Are you ready?"  
  
The small form draped over the arm of her white sofa nodded glumly. "As close as I can get. I'm still in denial, Tri. I can't believe he's – " Kim sighed heavily, brushing away tears from her reddened eyes.  
  
The lovely Asian shrugged. "Denial's a good place to be for something like this." She sat next to her friend on the sofa. "Are you sure you want to say something at the funeral? You don't have to. We all know how you felt about him."  
  
Kim sniffed. "I know. The only one who didn't know was Tommy himself. God, Tri, I'm such an idiot." She shook her head. "I was too afraid to come back before, too worried about the fallout from that goddamn letter. Too afraid that Tommy would hate me. And back then, that was the worst thing I could think of. But now I know there are worse things, and I'm not going to be afraid of anything any more." She offered Trini a watery smile. "I want to talk about him, Tri. I have to. And if I make a fool of myself, well, that's nothing new."  
  
"Okay, but if you change your mind…" Trini gave her a hug. "I'm really glad to have you here, Kim. You don't have to go right back to Florida, do you?"  
  
Kim shook her head, her expression sober. "I'm not going back at all. If you can stand me for a couple more days I'll start apartment hunting in the morning."  
  
Trini looked at her friend, bewildered. "Not going back? I don't know whether to be delighted or upset. I thought the coaching was going so well."  
  
Kim shrugged. "Doesn't seem to matter much now. Nothing does, except this: I never stopped loving Tommy, I know that now. And if I'm too late to tell him, at least I'm not too late to support what he died for. I can help with this, be the point person in the Center for you. If the Rangers go to Xerya, I'll go too. I'll fight So'Vran, just like he did." Kim set her jaw. "And I am going to make him pay."  
  
Trini watched her friend, noting the fire in those caramel eyes. "Zordon would tell you that revenge isn't the answer."  
  
"So he would." Kim looked at Trini steadily. "You're the leader now. What are you going to tell me?"  
  
Trini smiled. "Welcome aboard." She checked her watch. "We've got half an hour before the service. Want to go talk to Zordon?"  
  
In the end it was easier than they had anticipated; the shock of losing one of his own had shaken the Eltaran. "I am glad to have you back, Kimberly," he said. "I wonder if you know how much you and Trini, Jason, Billy, Zack and Tommy have always meant to me. Though I care about all of my Rangers, you were the first. You were, and are, and always will be, my chosen. And I am very, very proud of each of you."  
  
***************  
  
"Chosen? Chosen for what, exactly?" Tommy asked warily.  
  
The odd little man tilted his head to one side quizzically. "In order to answer that question adequately, you will need a history lesson. Shall we be comfortable? You must be hungry."  
  
In answer Tommy's stomach growled loudly, causing the weird little man to chuckle. "Please, come with me." He turned around and moved back toward the arch.  
  
Aji spoke up. "But who are you?"  
  
He thought about it. "You may call me Watcher."  
  
"Watcher? And what do you watch?"  
  
"Most recently, the two of you. Oh," he stopped, half-turning back, "that reminds me. When you see your friends again, please tell them I owe them an apology. I may have been a little… overzealous in bringing you here, and I'm afraid they are under the impression that you've died." Tommy and Aji exchanged horrified glances; the Watcher sent them an apologetic look. "It's my fault. It's been so long since I have been of use to the Master that I rather let my enthusiasm run away with me." Then he brightened. "But just think how glad they'll be to see you!"  
  
"Wait," Aji liked to get her facts straight, "you're saying that the flood… that was your doing?"  
  
He preened. "Impressive, wasn't it?"  
  
"Very," Tommy put in, reaching for Aji to help him to his feet. He leaned in close when the little man wasn't looking. "He's nuts, but I think he's harmless."  
  
She looked after the little fellow uncertainly. "I'm not so sure about that." They followed him through the arch.  
  
The darkness lifted to reveal a room filled with comfort. A long table dominated the room. Dishes filled to overflowing with delectable food sat in lazy disarray over the groaning boards; there were chairs and pallets covered in sumptuous, overstuffed pillows and draperies. The lost pair exchanged another set of glances. The Watcher turned in time to catch Tommy and Aji's expressions of disbelief.  
  
"Oh, dear," he said, disappointed. "I've overdone it again, haven't I?"  
  
"Is – " Tommy swallowed. "Is all this real?"  
  
"Now that depends on your definition of real," the little man smiled benevolently. "Come, the food will fill you, at any rate. And while you eat, I'll see if I can explain all this to you."  
  
He waited until they had settled comfortably with trays of food. "I'll begin at the beginning. You know what Paladin and Sentinel and Guardian are, don't you?"  
  
"Sentient energy beings from another plane of existence, who saw So'Vran's evil and wanted to help Xerya in her time of need. They channel their energy through three Xeryan bloodlines, giving their chosen vessels vast power," volunteered Aji promptly, as though reciting by rote. She grinned at Tommy's expression. "Hey, we grow up with this stuff."  
  
The Watcher turned back the voluminous sleeves of his robe with a finicky motion, revealing age-spotted, long fingered hands, which he folded pedantically over his stomach. "You may be interested to know that the creature you call So'Vran channels one of these sentient energy beings himself. There are many of them. Some good, some evil, some neutral, at least by our definition.  
  
"Thousands of years ago one of them began to interact with this plane, choosing a vessel to house his energy, seeking domination and power. When it became clear that his intentions were not benevolent, three heroes of this world approached Paladin, Sentinel, and Guardian to ask if they could become vessels as well, conduits for good, to fight So'Vran. They were granted this privilege, for them and their descendants, until So'Vran should be defeated.  
  
"But So'Vran used foul means to accomplish his ends, prolonging the life of his vessel by millennia. The other three were bound to allow their vessels to live out their lifespans, passing the power to succeeding generations. This gave So'Vran the edge he needed to create his empire."  
  
Tommy refilled his plate; the Watcher beamed. "I am glad you like my fried glorgnast," he said with visible pride. "It's—"  
  
Tommy held up a warning hand. "No, don't tell me. Something tells me it's better if I don't know." Aji chuckled and waved a stick of cheese at him. Tommy made a face at her. "Is that all you're having? Coward."  
  
She gave him an impish grin. "Not at all, I just don't eat what I can't recognize. Go on, Watcher. So'Vran was cheating, no surprise there."  
  
The Watcher cleared his throat. "Hr-rum. Though So'Vran's means were foul, the vessels for good outnumbered him three to one, and the balance of power seemed to remain more or less static through the millennia. Now, then. I serve a being of this other plane as well. My Master is interested only in balance, in the interaction of good and evil. You see, without good there can be no evil, and without evil, good has little value. As long as the balance of power in this conflict seemed even, my Master remained aloof."  
  
Aji narrowed her green eyes. "What has changed?" For a moment Tommy thought the little Watcher was going to pat her on the head, so pleased was he by this response.  
  
"Excellent! My Master has chosen well. To answer your question, my dear, the balance of power has shifted. So'Vran has discovered a way to destroy the vessels of good in such a way as to destroy the beings behind them as well. Twice now he has attempted this; and it cannot be allowed. So'Vran must be stopped."  
  
"So where do we come in?" Tommy wanted to know.  
  
The little Watcher smiled brightly at him. "You are to be vessels for my Master. It's a very great honor, I assure you."  
  
Tommy frowned. "Do we get a choice?"  
  
The Watcher looked affronted. "Naturally. My Master would never bind anyone to his service unwillingly."  
  
Aji had a question as well. "Why us?"  
  
"Think about it, my dear. One male, one female. One Xeryan, one not. Both touched by evil, yet your souls are balanced by purity. Both experienced warriors. One lifebound, one who should be. There are more reasons, but these will suffice."  
  
"Hold it a sec – go back – " Tommy sputtered.  
  
But the little man ignored him, getting up and settling his robes about him. "If you have finished with your meals?" He led them from the room back into the main atrium.  
  
Tommy leaned on Aji's shoulder. "You accepted the Bloodsong?"  
  
She slanted a glance up at him. "Not I."  
  
"But if you're not lifebound, then he must mean—"  
  
The Watcher's voice cut across their covert conversation as he stopped in front of the black and white opalescent stones Tommy and Aji had noticed earlier. "The powers offered you must act in tandem; you will be deeply connected to one another, as brother and sister, each unable to act without the other. One power is overt, representing light, action. The other is covert, representing shadow, thought. Do you accept custodianship of these powers offered to you?"  
  
They looked at each other. "If it will help defeat So'Vran, I do," said Aji.  
  
"I'm in," said Tommy with a decisive nod.  
  
The Watcher beamed. "Excellent. I will draw the powers from the stones; hold your hands out and your hearts open. The powers will choose you." With that he produced a long-necked pitcher from nowhere and poured a clear, slightly viscous liquid into the depression surrounding the stones. They watched as the black and white opalescence seemed to flow from the stones into the liquid, remaining separate, yet twined together, leaving the stones a dull quartz-gray. Aji slipped her hand into Tommy's, holding her other hand over the well; Tommy's outstretched palm joined hers, and they waited for something to happen.  
  
Suddenly the two colors jumped, sending gleaming tendrils into the air, touching the hands presented to them delicately, almost tentatively; and then the decision was made, and iridescent white slid up Aji's arm while opalescent black slithered over Tommy. They watched in fascination as their bodies were covered by the power; and then it seemed to sink into them and disappear.  
  
Suddenly it surged from their skin, flowing from within to sheath them, and the vessels of Light and Shadow stood revealed to the delighted Watcher. 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
This is just some girl talk. Thanks to SD for the idea, and to Rach for being my sounding board…  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out anything by Dagmar Buse, ScarletDeva or Rach. Seriously great writers.  
  
Legacy, part 18  
  
  
  
Trini followed the sound of muffled cursing to the repair bay, where she found a pair of trim, sneakered feet sticking out from under the skeleton of a new interstellar pod.  
  
"Hey, Alpha," she nodded to the small robot, who looked as though he'd be wringing his hands if he had any. Trini chuckled and hunkered down to peer under the pod. "You're driving poor Alpha distracted, Kim."  
  
"Yeah, well, get under here and help me align these flux capacitor thingies, and then we can run another test and I'll get out of his circuits while the bay servos take over for the big stuff."  
  
Trini got on her back and scooted under the pod with a laugh. "You almost sound like Billy, except I don't think he's ever said the word 'thingies'. What do you want me to do?"  
  
Kim spit a piece of hair out of her mouth and consulted an oil-spattered sheaf of papers. "Okay. I think we're supposed to get these four doohickies to match up. See this?" She pointed to a diagram on the much-abused computer printout, then up at the exposed workings of the pod. "If you can get those two over there and hold 'em steady…" The two girls worked in silence for a while, then Kim gave a nod. "'Kay Alf, hit it!" she shouted.  
  
"Ai-yi-yi, Kimberly, I wish you'd wait for Adam," the robot fussed. "You nearly fused the last set of capacitors."  
  
Kim blew out an irritated breath. "I am not a complete idiot, Alpha. These instructions from Mr. C. are very clear. I can do this just as well as the genius boys. Now run the test, or I'll dismantle you and give you to my niece for Tinkertoys!"  
  
"All right, all right, I'm beginning the test now," Alpha grumbled. There was a brief pause, and then the capacitors began to glow softly, humming gently. "Capacitors aligned, Kimberly. Shall I begin the servo program again?"  
  
Kim shimmied out from her position and sat up, wiping her forehead with her arm as Trini slid free of the pod. "Go ahead, Alf. Tri and I will grab some dinner." She turned to her friend, who was looking her up and down with a grin. "What?"  
  
"What have you got on?"  
  
Kim looked down at the enormous blue coveralls, stained with grease. "Oh, I found these in the docking bay. I think they must have been Billy's; they smell like him. Old Spice." She gave one of the cuffs another turn. "They're a little long, huh?"  
  
Trini chuckled. "Fashion maven. Come on. I brought pizza."  
  
A short while later, damply clean and dressed in her own clothes, Kim bit hungrily into a gooey slice of pizza. "So what did you think of the candidates I dug up?"  
  
"Mmmph," Trini waved a hand, indicating that her mouth was similarly occupied. She swallowed with effort. "They look like good choices; gosh, they seem so young, don't they?"  
  
Kim shrugged. "We were young too. I think they'll be all right. How do you want to handle this?"  
  
"How about we just teleport them here and ask them? That's what Zordon did to us."  
  
Kim grimaced. "I know, and remember? We turned him down at first. He scared the pants off us."  
  
Trini nodded, looking at the five photos spread on the table in front of her. "Point taken. How's about the Rangers approach them and you meet up with them after if they agree?" At Kim's nod, she went on, outlining the plan they'd concocted. "Then we transfer Turbo to them and take back Zeo. They protect Earth; we head out to back up Jason and Billy. You're sure you don't want a crystal?"  
  
Kim gave her a look. "I'm sure. Tom went without powers, I can too." Then she shrugged. "Which would I take, anyhow?"  
  
There was a pause. "You could have Red."  
  
At that Kim actually shoved back from the table. "No way." She composed herself. "He chose you, Tri. You're the Red Ranger now."  
  
Another pause; Trini looked at her friend uncertainly. "You don't mind?"  
  
Kim shook her head, then gave Trini a sheepish grin. "Yeah, in a way I do, but it's you, so it's okay. You're a good leader. Tommy made a good choice."  
  
Trini looked at Kim for the longest time. "You're still hung up on him."  
  
Kim sighed. "Yep. It's not like I didn't try to get past him, you know? I dated. A lot. Other people get over their first love. Other people move on. Not me. Nope, in true Kimberly Ann bass-ackward fashion the longer we were apart the more I craved him." She sniffed. "And now… oh, shit. Talk about something else, okay? Tell me about your love life."  
  
Trini snorted. "What love life?"  
  
"You know, I always wondered whether you and Bill would get together. Guess that's a moot point now, from what I hear about this Taia." Kim leaned back on two legs of her chair, her feet braced against the table's edge.  
  
Trini grinned. "Oh, I would so not mess with her." She chuckled lightly. "It's funny, you know, I used to wonder the same thing, though. Billy and I used to have this on-again, off-again attraction for one another, but never at the same time, or so it seemed. We just never jelled. Nor with Jason, though I tried harder there."  
  
Kim's chair thumped forward to the floor. "Shut up. You dated Jason? When was this, and why should I not kill you for not saying anything about it?"  
  
Trini giggled. "It didn't last very long, just after we first got to Switzerland, and it really wasn't anything to write home about." She paused, then dropped her bomb with a mischievous look. "Except for when we slept together, of course."  
  
Kim shrieked. "Shut UP! You slept with Jason? Ohmigod! I cannot believe you never said a word, you wench!" The petite brunette meditated on this for some moments, punctuated by an occasional 'ohmigod'. "Well," she went on after a while, "this just completely skews my world view." A pause. "So how was he?"  
  
Trini feigned shock. "Kimberly Ann Hart! I pour out the depths of my soul and this is all you can say?" She grinned. "Really good, actually. But it was a long time ago."  
  
Kim pondered this for a while, then shook her head. "I can't believe you never said anything, you rat. Hmph." She made a clucking noise with her tongue. "So tell me about his sister. What's she like?"  
  
Trini thought about it. "Pretty much like you'd expect, actually. She looks a great deal like Jase, smaller, of course. Gorgeous, really. I hardly got to talk to her at all, but she's very nice, head over heels for Billy, and a warrior, right down to the ground. Not a surprise when you consider her background. But she carries it the same way Jason does, you know? Controlled. Although," the lovely Asian chuckled again, "I hear she's not so controlled when she and Bill are in private."  
  
Kim laughed aloud. "Where'd you get that? Not from Billy, I bet."  
  
"No. You know she and Jase share this mental link, right? Well, apparently she accidentally broadcast during a grapple with our young and studly scientist. Tommy said Jason was mortified."  
  
"Oh, whoops." Kim laughed again, then made a face. "Now that's a door marked 'there' I don't want to go through. Billy as stud. Yick."  
  
"What are you talking about? He's a hottie."  
  
Kim threw her friend a look. "Whatever. He's been my best friend since what, third grade? It's like thinking about my brother or cousin or something. Bleah. Change the subject, quick."  
  
Trini grinned. "Okay. So this is our final roster for Turbo, second generation: TJ, Ashley, Cassie, Justin, Carlos. If they all agree. We're decided?"  
  
Kim gave her a thumbs up. "Lock and load, sister. Set it up; I'll be there." 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers. Anybody you never heard of before is probably mine, but it doesn't matter because there's no money involved anyway.  
  
Note: this is completely AU. Zordon never died. Everybody's in their early to mid-twenties. You'll recognize the other stuff I changed.  
  
Kevin, this ending is just for you…  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out anything by Dagmar Buse, ScarletDeva or Rach. Seriously great writers.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 19  
  
  
  
Aji looked up as Tommy walked slowly back toward the atrium, his expression preoccupied.  
  
"Find out what you wanted to know?" she asked quietly. She had to repeat the question before he surfaced enough to reply.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so." He thought back to what the Watcher had said.  
  
***************  
  
"Of course humans lifebond, Tommy. It's a different process: slower, more fluid, less abrupt; but it certainly happens."  
  
"So you meant me, then."  
  
The little man twinkled at him. "I did. You sound surprised."  
  
Tommy shook his head. "I am, but it's not that. It's – why didn't I know? The way Billy knew, the way Jason knew. I know it's different for me, but I should have known. Maybe I would have done things differently."  
  
The Watcher sighed, his expression for the first time serious. "A very good question. But one only you can answer. Though you need not find the answer now; indeed, it may be out of reach until you can resolve things with your lifebound."  
  
***************  
  
Still at a loss, Tommy asked his partner the same question.  
  
Aji considered it, her head tilted to one side. "Why didn't you know she was the one? Well, the only thing I can think of is: are you sure you didn't?" She got up, leaning against one of the massive pillars. "You know, if a thing is right, and you don't feel right within yourself, you might push the right thing away. Or not even recognize it, not consciously. But I think the Watcher's right. It's not me you need to talk to."  
  
Tommy brooded a moment more, then squared his shoulders. "Then there's only one thing we need to do now: kick some Citadel booty so I can get home to my girl, and see if I can convince her to be my girl again." Aji chuckled, drawing a smile from him. He glanced at her, his hazel eyes warm. "Thanks, Aj. Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Are you going to be as stupid as I am?"  
  
The redhead sputtered with laughter. "I hope not." Then she sobered a bit. "You want to know if I'm going to accept the Bloodsong." Tommy nodded; Aji shrugged. "I want to, Tom. I really do. But Jason thinks I'm dead. And I don't want to spend my life alone, even if it's not with Jason."  
  
"I don't follow."  
  
Aji tried to explain. "If a lifebound dies, the one left behind can refuse the Song, to ease the pain of loss. Jason has to be feeling a lot of unresolved pain, both from my initial reaction to the Song and now from the belief that it's lost to him. I don't know whether he'd continue to sing under such a burden. If he has refused and I accept him…"  
  
Tommy nodded slowly. "You'd never be able to be with anyone else, so you'd be alone. Like me. I get it, sort of. So what are you going to do?"  
  
She chewed at a blunt fingernail worriedly. "Wait and see, I guess."  
  
***************  
  
"I see you are ready to get back to your friends," the Watcher smiled.  
  
Tommy and Aji exchanged glances. They were clean, healed, wearing new, close-fitting garments in black and white, respectively. You look good, said Tommy silently, using their mindlink. The relatively baggy uniform Aji'd been wearing before had concealed… a lot. He chuckled, his amusement growing as he imagined Jason's reaction to the feisty redhead. Jase is gonna have a stroke.  
  
Aji ignored him, turning to the Watcher. "Is there anything else we should know?"  
  
The Watcher fingered his chin thoughtfully. "Most importantly that you must use these powers in conjunction with one another. Light means nothing without shadow to give it definition; likewise shadow cannot exist without light to give it form. You will not be able to call upon them if you do not call together. Similarly, if one of you powers down, the other will as well, even if against your will." He thought for a while longer. "When manifested, the power will act as armor, tempering any blows you might receive. However, if one of you is injured, the other will feel the pain also." The Watcher folded his hands over his belly in what the two had come to recognize as his lecture mode, smiling benevolently. He leaned forward to tap Aji playfully on the arm. "Bright energy is your servant, sharp and clean and quick. As for you," he patted Tommy on the shoulder, "the energy over which you are master is dark, blunt, deliberate. Where there is shadow, you can only be perceived as you choose." The Watcher nodded excitedly in an excess of emotion. "There is more. Combine your powers and you will create illusion so real it could convince any beholder; for what is sight except the perception of light and shadow?" He sighed. "But beware of So'Vran; he will not hesitate to use anything he can find against you. Hope travels with you, my friends. Care for one another and follow your hearts. They will not lead you far astray."  
  
"Then it's time," said Aji, reaching to grasp the little man's hand.  
  
"Past it," added Tommy. "Thanks for everything. We'll do our best."  
  
The little fellow nodded his bald head, his mismatched eyes twinkling kindly. "I know you will." With that the temple, the jungle, the Watcher faded from view, and Tommy and Aji found themselves huddled against a rocky outcropping in the desert, the Citadel looming dark against the distant sky.  
  
*******************  
  
Jason took the copilot's seat next to Billy; the blond scientist flicked him a brief smile. "How are you holding up?"  
  
Jason nodded absently. "Better. Some, anyway. It's still – it's still hard, but at least I know where I stand, now."  
  
"I'm sorry about it, Jase. It's bad enough that we lost them, but how you must feel… well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."  
  
Jason clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, bro." He turned his attention to the barren landscape ahead of them. "So what's the plan now?"  
  
Billy shrugged. "I'm heading for the Citadel, doing a wide-band scan around us, hoping we'll catch up with Frid before he gets to So'Vran. I'd be delighted if you had a better idea."  
  
"Wish I did. Any luck?"  
  
"Not so f – no!" Out of nowhere, it seemed, a yellow-white ball of energy bloomed in front of them, causing the runabout to lurch sickeningly to one side, throwing the two men violently into the bulkhead. Blue-white electricity arced through the cabin and its inhabitants. The two men arched and twisted painfully, glued to the bulkhead, vainly struggling to escape, and then the static sputtered away, freeing them from its grip.  
  
Billy clawed his way back into his seat, panting, cursing a blue streak. "Where the bloody hell did that come from?" The runabout veered, lurched, screamed in protest, one wing bursting into flame. Jason pulled himself forward as the ship pitched lower, gaining his seat with effort. Smoke filled the cabin and their lungs as the console erupted in sparks. Taia stumbled through the cabin door, dirty, bleeding from a cut on her cheek; she nodded to the others and dragged herself to the emergency seating in the bulkhead, strapping in and readying for impact.  
  
"I'm gonna try to smooth – this – out – " Billy gritted between clenched teeth, his fingers moving over the console at lightning speed; despite all his efforts the runabout lurched lower, to the hair-raising sound of tearing metal. No good, the runabout was lost. He cursed inwardly, sent a wave of love to his father and Tai, and grasped the console firmly. "Impact in four – three – two – hold on!"  
  
It was like nothing they'd ever felt, the shock of the runabout hitting the baked clay of the desert floor; every bone crunched on bone as the cabin spun and shrieked against the hard ground. The smell of acrid smoke was overwhelming, and the three began to cough and gasp for air. With a final, sickening lurch and groan the runabout, or what was left of it, ground to a stop. Billy's head impacted sharply on the console, leaving a messy gash; Jason's seat sheared free from its moorings, throwing him into the heavy viewshield, which spiderwebbed under the force of the blow.  
  
Dust filled the air, both in and around the ship. Billy became vaguely aware of Taia freeing him, then pulling at her dazed brother's restraints. "Come on, Jason, Billy… we have to get out of here!" At her words Billy staggered free of the pilot's chair and came to help her, swiping blood out of his eyes. Jason groaned, bleeding and bruised, but was able to stand when they got the restraint open. Leaning on each other they fell out of the totaled ship, dodging behind it for cover as a phalanx of soldiers clad in dusty yellow-brown advanced on them. Taia bit off an epithet, leaning hard against the side of the ship. Sentinel?   
  
Already on it. And indeed a bronze form knelt by Jason, rapidly healing the worst of his injuries. Then he turned his attention to the cut on Taia's cheek as her brother powered up, sheathing himself in gold, a lambent blade forming in his hands. What the hell was that they hit us with? And why didn't we detect it? Billy asked, his fury barely contained.  
  
Taia scanned the oncoming troops, silver armor sliding over her. It looked like a disruptor blast, but on a much bigger scale. As to why we didn't detect it… She flicked him a silvery glance, and Billy nodded.  
  
Frid has my father's files, would have known how to conceal it from us. Damn him. A bronze energy staff formed in Billy's grasp. Let's go.   
  
Jason was the first to leap into the fray, his blade cleaving through the air as he whirled into the throng, a feral snarl on his face. Billy flipped over the heads of the nearest troops, his staff striking with lethal accuracy, while Taia took to the air, power scudding from her hands, downing soldier after soldier. Another silent yellow-white bloom of energy caught her with its outer edge, causing her to drop from the sky abruptly, flickering silver static.  
  
TAI!   
  
NO!   
  
The answer was weak, but there. I'm… ohhh… I'm all right. Billy fought his way to her side, using his staff as a pole to vault over the heads of the troops separating them. She was on her feet, fighting, but he could tell her blows weren't power-enhanced.  
  
He maneuvered around until they were back to back. How bad? he asked succinctly, bashing the face of an unfortunate soldier with the end of his staff.  
  
Can't summon anything but armor. I've been hit worse. Billy felt the adrenaline surge through her system. I have a few surprises left. She proved it with her next move, a fluid roundhouse kick that threw two of the men surrounding them back, but the reprieve was temporary as they pressed forward again.  
  
This does not look good, Billy observed, looking around the ever tightening circle of Citadel troops that had forced their way between the two and Jason, cutting the golden warrior off. He dispersed his staff as the troops came too close for him to use it effectively.  
  
We're not trapped yet, Taia responded.  
  
What do you have in mind? he asked, sensing she had a plan.  
  
There was a definite smile in her next thought, Just lean forward.   
  
Puzzled, Billy did as she requested. The next moment, Billy felt Taia lean back, along his body, before launching herself heels over head to flip backwards. He straightened in time to see her wrap her feet around the neck of the soldier in her path. In mid-flight, she twisted her body to bring the soldier down.  
  
Billy took that as his own cue to move, while the other soldiers were too stunned to do anything. He leapt forward, bulling through the soldier in his path and knocking the man aside effortlessly, before rolling back to his feet. Billy landed a neat double kick to the face of another, while Taia did a quick and skillful low sweep to the legs of a third, throwing him to the ground where she rendered him senseless with a well-placed fist. The circle widened as the soldiers backed away.  
  
Much better!  
  
Yes – but where is Jason?  
  
Sensing her anxiety, Billy started to scan the battlefield, aware that Taia was matching his actions. His eyes were drawn to a large knot of soldiers, but he couldn't voice the fear.  
  
"Jason, no!" Taia screamed.  
  
********************  
  
In the mêlée, Jason found himself separated from Taia and Billy and surrounded by soldiers. A sharp blow connected to the back of his head and dazed him enough that his blade shorted out. He lashed out with a snap-kick to the nearest soldier, sending the armored man staggering backwards into several of his fellow soldiers. But as Jason moved to pivot, a well-placed leg sweep took him down.  
  
Falling forward, Jason managed to tuck into a slightly clumsy forward somersault that enabled him to regain his footing almost straight away, but the maneuver benefited him little as he found himself coming to his feet straight into the path of an armored fist. The blow connected with his jaw with a crack, and while he knew it would have been a lot worse without the Paladin energy protecting him, it still sent him reeling backwards.  
  
He didn't see the kick that was aimed at him from behind until it connected with the small of his back. It sent him staggering forwards once more, arms reflexively pin-wheeling to retain his balance.  
  
Someone landed a kick on his hip, further unbalancing him. When that was followed up by a staff blow to the knee, down he went. Without giving him a chance to regain his feet or his weapon, three of the soldiers surged forward. They grabbed at Jason, two seizing his arms while the third hauled on his torso. Jason looked up to see the mouth of a disruptor pointed squarely at his forehead.  
  
The helmeted soldier holding it chuckled. "Paladin; a true prize. So'Vran will be pleased."  
  
Jason snarled, bracing himself for the blast, but a dark figure suddenly appeared between him and the disruptor. "Hey," said a very familiar voice. "Watch where you're pointing that thing!" 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Much doo-doo hits the fan this chapter.  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out anything by Dagmar Buse, ScarletDeva or Rach. Seriously great writers.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 20  
  
"T-tom?" Jason's voice came out a harsh croak.  
  
The Shadow-cloaked Tommy grasped the muzzle of the disruptor and tore it from the grasp of the unnerved soldier. "You're gonna hurt somebody with that, buddy." He tossed it impossibly high in the air where a dazzling white streak flashed by at incredible speed. The flash paused, its shape now discernable as that of a slender woman. She threw out her arm, from which a crescent-shaped sliver of light spun, cleaving the disruptor neatly, the two halves clearly visible before the whole thing exploded. Aji bent her attention to the company below, darting lower, finding and destroying any other disruptor she found with laser accuracy. Then she paused, her gaze resting gently on Jason.  
  
Tommy gestured at the ring of soldiers surrounding himself and Jason; a dark sphere of energy enclosed them, expanding outward suddenly to throw the troops violently back. He chuckled, a self-satisfied grin on his dark face, bending to help Jason up. They looked at each other for a long moment, then Jason gave his best friend a grin and a nod before turning his attention back to their foe. Tommy laughed aloud and glanced upward to see Aji hovering overhead, all her attention squarely on the golden warrior below. "That's my girl," Tommy muttered under his breath as he looked from one to the other. "Don't be the fool I was."  
  
One of the Citadel soldiers was alert; a silent yellow sphere of energy launched at the gleaming figure. Jason's throat closed off in panic as he recognized its target; but when the energy blast bloomed, Aji wasn't there. With a sudden burst of lightspeed she had joined Taia and Billy, lashing out at their assailants with lethal force, her weapons bright and sharp. Tommy, for his part, was laying into Jason's would-be captors with power- enhanced blows and kicks, his signature yell echoing through the desert air, his dark energy swinging wide and hitting hard, a shadowy warhammer. The Citadel forces finally scattered in unequivocal retreat when Aji took deadly aim at their disruptor cannon, destroying it and the transport it had been on.  
  
Tommy's black armor slithered away; he slipped his shoulder under Jason's arm as the larger man threatened to collapse. "Geez," Tommy chided gently, "I leave you alone for a couple of days and you just can't stay out of trouble."  
  
"I thought you were dead," Jason said baldly, his voice thick. "You – you're – ?"  
  
"I'm okay, bro. We both are."  
  
"Both…" Jason searched out Aji as his spirit roared to life. She was disentangling herself from an affectionate embrace with Taia when their gazes collided and he felt his world tilt. Everything receded, became a little unreal; he straightened, moved toward her purposefully, determined not to let her run this time. She merely stood, watching him, her expression unreadable, and with each step Jason became more aware of something trying to get his attention, around the thunder of his own Bloodsong… what was that? It was clean, clear, sweet, soothing… exciting. He stood in front of her, fists clenching and unclenching, certain and yet so unsure.  
  
And then the corner of her mouth lifted in a half smile, and Jason suddenly knew what it was. She sang for him.  
  
Oblivious to Tommy's shouted "Yes!" Jason pulled Aji to him without further ado, his mouth claiming hers just as surely as their spirits became one.  
  
He came up for air, inspecting her flushed face, her breath coming in short gasps. Jason traced a gentle finger down the curve of one cheek. "Don't you EVER scare me like that again," he growled. Aji shook her head with an affectionate smile. "And you," he turned on Tommy, who was having his hand shaken practically off by Billy. "Where the hell have you been?"  
  
******************  
  
Beyond the walls of the Citadel, a figure stood brooding on a gray stone balcony. "Who are they?" His voice was deep and smooth, deceptively gentle. The soldier in front of him flinched slightly.  
  
"We don't know, Master. The squadron leader described them just as I have told you."  
  
"Hmm." So'Vran turned, pacing a few slow steps. His long ebony hair, neatly braided down his back, swung in the slight breeze. Long, supple fingers stroked his beard, split into two smaller braids reaching halfway to his belt. Heavy brows hid the fire of his gaze, which turned unsettlingly back on the soldier. "Ready your best men and bring the rebel traitor to me. When I have the information I seek, you will act on my orders." The soldier spun smartly on his heel and left.  
  
So'Vran rested his hands on the cool stone of the balcony wall. "So," he murmured to himself. "Two new vessels. It matters not. I will soon have your secrets." He smiled, and it was not a pretty sight. "Tell me, little ones. What are your weaknesses? What do you hold most dear?" He closed his eyes and concentrated, waiting for the answer.  
  
*******************  
  
They'd found a secluded place to camp for the night, some distance from where the runabout had gone down; a small cave, out of the sight of the Citadel, halfway up the side of a rocky cliff face. Billy had salvaged what he could from the runabout and was tinkering with a damaged communicator, trying to get in touch with the base, but was constantly distracted by the story Aji and Tommy were taking turns telling them. Jason sat next to his lifebound, his arm firmly around her waist. Taia had curled up near Billy and handed him tools as he indicated them, her attention glued to the others.  
  
"Incredible," was Billy's assessment as they wound it up, and the others echoed him.  
  
Tommy chuckled. "Anyway, the Watcher wanted us to tell you he's sorry to have scared you like that. He got a little overexcited."  
  
"I'll say," said Jason. "That was some flood." He shuddered. "I'll tell you, bro, I've never been so scared in my whole life, not even when I thought I was going to die from the whole Gold powers thing. Losing you – losing both of you… thank God Billy and Tai were with me or I don't know what I would have done."  
  
Aji wordlessly put her palm along his jaw; he turned his face into it and pressed a kiss there. Tommy watched the exchange with a pleased smile, then turned to Billy. "How's it coming, Bill?"  
  
"Almost," said Billy, concentrating on a finicky bit, his tongue caught between his teeth. "I think – if I can just –"  
  
Whatever he was going to say was lost as all five clutched their heads in sudden, searing stab of pain, seeking, probing… finding; and then as soon as it came, it was gone again, leaving them light headed and slightly nauseated.  
  
"What the hell is with this planet?" Tommy asked huskily. "Don't you people understand the concept of down time? What was that?"  
  
"Felt like a mind probe," Aji said, shaking her head. "I've heard of them, but never been through one so I could be wrong. What did it make you think of?"  
  
"You," Jason said. "And Tom and Bill."  
  
"Father, Billy, Jason," supplied Taia.  
  
"Jason and," Aji sighed in self-disgust, "my father."  
  
Billy considered it. "Tai… and Jase. Tommy too. And my dad."  
  
Tommy was quiet, then he spoke. "Kim."  
  
"But what does it mean?" Taia wanted to know, looking at her lover for clarification, but he was staring at the cave mouth.  
  
Something outside the cave caught Billy's attention, and he got to his feet laboriously, heading toward the entrance to take a closer look. "Uh oh. You better come see this, guys."  
  
Taia was the first to join him; she slipped her arm around his waist as they watched the faint purple grid appear in the sky, then flicker and slowly fade. "The barrier," she breathed.  
  
Aji took a deep breath. "My father has succeeded," she said, her voice hitching slightly. "So'Vran's free."  
  
*****************  
  
So'Vran swept past the massed squadrons who stood at attention in a large docking bay. "You have your orders. And recall my caution: they are of little use to me dead. Do what you must, but bring them to me alive." With that he nodded, dismissing them, and they split into two groups; one heading for a large troop hoverskid, heavily armed, the other for a gleaming black interstellar pod.  
  
*****************  
  
The rest of the night passed uneventfully on Xerya. Billy beguiled some time bringing Taia or Jason back to full strength, catching catnaps in between, while Aji flew to the runabout in search of water and rations. Eventually they were fed and watered, and more or less rested.  
  
"Any ideas?" Jason asked the group at large. They looked at one another.  
  
"I think we should stop reacting and start acting," Billy supplied.  
  
"I agree," added Tommy. "So far we've been chasing around after them instead of going on the offensive. But we're going to need more than we have: food, water, some kind of transport. Problem is, do we have time to head back to the base, now that the barrier's down?"  
  
"I don't see that we need to," said Aji. "Provided Billy gets that communicator working, we can have Deorth and some troops meet us. That way we can plan a strategy of attack while the things we need are on their way to us."  
  
Billy grinned. "Then I'd better get to work, hadn't I?" He sat down with the commlink components and was quickly lost to any further conversation.  
  
"In that case, I'm going to go look around, get my bearings." Jason stood, stretching. "I was pretty out of it last night when we got here. Anybody want to come?" The question was put generally, but his smile was just for Aji as he pulled her to her feet.  
  
Tommy chuckled to himself, whistling tunelessly as he poked a stick in the glowing embers of their cooking fire.  
  
Taia nudged him with her foot. "You're very cheerful."  
  
He smiled at her. "Well, the situation sucks, but Jase and Aji are the way they're meant to be. Gotta take your happy where you find it, my mom always said."  
  
She studied him. "You love Jason a lot, don't you?"  
  
"Sure, both him and Bill." At that the blond scientist glanced up with a grin, then went back to his work. Tommy nodded. "They're family to me. Which I guess makes you and Aj family too."  
  
Taia leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek; Tommy slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Hands off my woman, bub," came a mock growl from the back of the cave.  
  
"Oh, does that bother you?" Tommy asked, his voice laced with mischief. "Then you don't have to watch." With that he and Taia faded from view. Billy jumped to his feet.  
  
"Tom? Tommy! What the –?"  
  
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows…" the invisible man intoned, accompanied by giggles from the unseen Taia.  
  
Billy raked his fingers through his hair. "Useful power, but creepy as all get out. Come back, please." He exhaled a small sigh of relief as the pair reappeared. "So that's how you got to Jason yesterday."  
  
Tommy opened his mouth to reply but Aji's voice cut through his consciousness. TOMMY! HELP! He snapped into warrior mode. "Come on; more trouble." The three sped from the cave.  
  
Jason sat on the ground, knees pulled up, his head resting on his forearms. Aji squatted next to him, an arm over his back. She glanced up as the three ran to them. "We were talking, and all of a sudden he collapsed. I don't know why."  
  
The dark-haired man shook his head slowly, as though shaking off a daze. He rolled his shoulders, his dark gaze seeking his sister. "It's Father, Tai. Something bad. I felt it through Paladin."  
  
Taia clenched her jaw. "You have to get that commlink working, Billy."  
  
"I just about had it. Come on." He ran ahead while the others helped Jason, who was still woozy. By the time they made it back to the cave, Billy had a channel open.  
  
"Base, this is Sentinel. Base, come in." There was a long pause. Too long. "Base, this is Sentinel. Does anyone read me?"  
  
They stared at each other, horror dawning on each of them. "My father must have figured out the location of the new base," whispered Aji, chewing on her thumb. Jason gripped her hand in silent support.  
  
"Base! Base, do you read?"  
  
A crackling sound. "Sentinel?"  
  
Billy heaved a breath of relief. "This is Sentinel. Is everything all right?"  
  
The voice on the other end suppressed a sound that could have been a sob. "All right?"  
  
"Base – listen, who is this?"  
  
"It's Deorth. We've been attacked, Billy. We picked them up on our long- range scans in time to evac most of us, but…"  
  
Billy's lips thinned. "Casualties?"  
  
There was another burst of static. "As many as two hundred; we're not sure yet. Billy… your father… they took P'Tyr. Iannos tried to stop them… and he's hurt, pretty badly, though they say he'll make it. Took two disruptor hits, dead on."  
  
"Oh, God…" Billy stared at the others, his expression stark. But even under the fear they could see his mind at work. "When we were hit by that mental bolt, whatever it was… it made us think of those we loved best. Looking for leverage to use against us. But we thought mostly of each other, except for my dad, Iannos, Frid, and…"  
  
Tommy went white. "Kim. And the barrier's down." 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Hey, when you're done reading this and after you review (please!), go check out anything by Dagmar Buse, ScarletDeva or Rach. Seriously great writers.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 21  
  
"Hi, Kim."  
  
She turned awkwardly under the burden of the heavy trashcan she was emptying, squinting at the man who had spoken to her. Something in the timbre of his voice was familiar, but she was sure she hadn't seen him before. Or had she? He was tall, big though not fat, with close-cropped light brown hair and blue-gray eyes. His expression was diffident, though pleasant; he chuckled a little as she studied him, trying to place him.  
  
"You're making me flash back to high school, staring at me so suspiciously."  
  
The penny dropped. "Bulk?" Kim grinned involuntarily. "Wow. I didn't recognize you. You look great."  
  
He smiled, a little self-consciously. "Thanks. Hey, can we talk?"  
  
"Uh, sure." She put the can down and glanced through the window of the sports complex behind her; Trini's training class with the Turbo recruits was still in full swing. Best not to interrupt there. The center courtyard was empty, though; she led him to a cement bench. "What's on your mind?"  
  
Bulk looked around at the spacious courtyard, flanked on three sides by the sports complex. "This place is great; Tommy really did well for himself. My kids really love coming here."  
  
"Boy, I feel out of the loop. I didn't even know you were married."  
  
He blushed, laughing. "Oh, no, I – they're not mine, not like that. I mentor a group of at-risk teens; Tom lets us use the facilities at no cost, which is really great of him." Kim looked at him more carefully. This sure wasn't the Bulk she'd gone to school with, though she tried to find a nicer way to put it. He laughed again, shaking his head. "I know what you're thinking. You wouldn't be the first, either."  
  
Kim smiled. "So how's Skull? You guys keep in touch?"  
  
"Skull is – " Bulk took a breath. "He's fine, thank God." At her confused look, he tried to explain. "I guess you didn't hear. Skull got sick a couple years after we graduated. Leukemia. He's been in remission for a while now. Got married a few months ago, actually."  
  
"God, I had no idea. I'm glad he's okay."  
  
He blew out a breath. "Me too. It's amazing how something like that rearranges your priorities."  
  
She smiled sadly. "I know what you mean."  
  
"Made me think about stuff." Bulk rubbed a hand over his short hair. "He made me promise to get myself healthy, so I joined a gym, ate better. More than that, though, it made me look at myself, at the blustering, posturing pseudo-badass I thought I was. I realized that if there's noise coming out, there's not much going in. Which is probably why I never did unmask the Power Rangers." He shot her a glance, his expression unreadable. "A good thing, too. Would have messed up their lives considerably, and likely made their job impossible."  
  
Kim looked at him warily. "Probably," was all she said.  
  
Bulk sighed. "Listen, I better just cut to the chase. I'm the investigating detective on the missing persons case of Thomas Oliver, Kim. I need to ask you a couple of things. Off the record."  
  
She eyed him nervously. "I didn't realize you were with the police. I don't think there's much I can tell you; I haven't seen Tommy in years."  
  
He looked over her shoulder through the big picture window, to where the Turbo recruits were taking a break. "I want to help, Kim. I know whatever you're doing is probably pretty important, and I won't hinder you in any way, but there are some things I have to know. I don't want to screw things up for you."  
  
"Bulk, I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yeah, you do…" he smiled, to soften his words. "…Pink Ranger."  
  
She thought about denying it, then shrugged. "Not for a long time."  
  
"I know." Bulk nodded. "I also know you quit your job in Florida and sold your condo, so you're planning on staying, at least for a while." He sighed. "I meant what I said, Kim. I don't want to mess things up by sticking my nose in where it might screw you guys. I just want to ask you a couple things, okay? Off the record, I swear."  
  
"Ask, then. But I'm not promising anything." Kim folded her arms across her chest and waited.  
  
There was a pause. "This disappearance… should I even bother to look for him?"  
  
Kim struggled. Could she trust him? Should she? Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Justin, the new Blue Turbo Ranger, waving happily to Bulk, who returned the wave with a grin. This really wasn't the old Bulk; he would never have responded with anything more than a derisive "Dork!" And what the hell was she worrying about, anyway? What they were up against was bigger than the integrity of their secret identities. Her decision made, Kim shook her head, doe eyes filling with tears. "No."  
  
He bowed his head. "Ah, no. I'm sorry, Kim." He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "I was afraid you were going to say that. There – there isn't a body, is there?" She shook her head wordlessly. "And there's not going to be one, right?" She nodded, still unable to voice a reply. "So the missing persons thing is just the first step?"  
  
Kim cleared her throat. "Yeah. His folks know the truth; in seven years they'll petition to have him declared legally dead. Nobody's really in a hurry with this, you know?"  
  
Bulk sighed and nodded. "I wish there was something I could say, Kim."  
  
"Thanks." She gave him a watery smile, getting up from the bench. "Listen, I need a tissue; why don't you come in and say hi to Trini and Rocky?"  
  
He hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. I'd like that."  
  
The group was huddled around the television in the lounge when Bulk and Kim entered.  
  
"… experts at NASA are theorizing that these newest images from the Hubble telescope show what appears to be a heretofore unknown planetary body, with what appears to be three lunar satellites in orbit around it. The planet is orbiting DKS-4051, a star that, until now, was thought to have no solar system. As yet there are no theories as to how this planet has escaped detection up to now." The anchor's eyes widened in apparent reaction to something happening off camera. "This just in: some kind of stealth aircraft has just materialized over the California coast. The public is asked not to panic. I repeat: do not pan—" Trini flicked the set off, her dark eyes narrowing.  
  
In the sudden silence, screams could be heard, coming from the street.  
  
As one the group raced outside, skidding to a halt at the sight of absolute pandemonium. A large, gleaming, black shape hovered a few feet above the ground, from which troops of black-clad soldiers embarked, weapons at the ready. People ran through the streets, terror-stricken, as the soldiers leveled their weapons at each person they encountered, hesitating briefly, then moving on. Trini and Rocky dodged back into the courtyard, Trini's wrist communicator already at her mouth. The five recruits looked a little unorganized, but put up a brave front of resistance as they scattered through the crowd trying to protect the innocent, get them out of the way.  
  
Kim's lips thinned thoughtfully as she hustled a frightened group of Little League kids and their coach inside the sports center. The soldiers weren't accosting just anyone; they seemed to be interested in women only. Looking for someone, she thought, as one of them shook his head and threw the woman whose arm he'd grasped to the street. Bulk shouldered his way forward. Kim grabbed a bat from the nerveless hands of a frightened child and hollered through the door to the coach, "Call 911; get him some backup," before running after her one-time high school nemesis.  
  
Bulk pulled his gun and aimed it at the presumed squadron leader, shouting instructions to halt.  
  
The squadron leader turned his attention to the detective, his expression unreadable behind the helmet. "Threat," he barked to his troops. "Neutralize."  
  
Bulk shot into the line of soldiers that advanced on him, emptying his clip to no avail as the bullets bounced off the armor they wore. He snarled as the first soldier reached him, grasping the gun and tearing it from Bulk's hand, then backhanding the unarmed man across the face. Bulk fell back, his mouth bloodied.  
  
Kim bared her teeth. "Leave him alone!" she shouted, running full-bore into the fray and swinging the bat at the back of the soldier's head with purpose, connecting hard. Another soldier jerked his weapon toward her, but Kim whirled, bat at the ready. She swung low with a growl and the soldier went down as his knee blew out with a sickening crack. She lashed out with a hard kick to another armored solar plexus, rewarded with an 'oof' as he staggered backward, and a quick shove of the end of the bat upwards caused the head of a fourth to snap back.  
  
Not much good, though. She was quickly surrounded. Kim cursed inwardly, swinging her bat in a wide arc. She could hear her name shouted over the screams of the crowd and the sounds of fighting. Raising her voice, she answered it. "Get 'em out of here, Bulk!"  
  
The crush of soldiers pressed closer, waiting for something. The leader came through, speaking loudly. "Quarry established. Obtain."  
  
A flash of red caught Kim's eye. Trini's voice rang out; even filtered by her helmet Kim could hear the rage. "Get away from her!" Surrounded as she was by black soldiers, Kim could see that they in turn were surrounded by a multicolored collection of Rangers, old and new.  
  
The leader spoke quickly. "Obtain quarry. Divert and neutralize threats. We will withdraw upon completion of mission."  
  
With that the outer circle of soldiers turned to face the Rangers, running forward, weapons outstretched. Kim could see the Rangers produce weapons of their own to engage them, then her attention was grabbed harshly as something hit the back of her head, causing her to see stars. She stumbled forward as a pair of soldiers she hadn't seen grasped her firmly between them, forcing her to her knees, disposing of the bat. "Quarry obtained," one of them said, and to her horror Kim felt the tendrils of Eltaran teleportation begin to envelop her. "Trini!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling wildly. Through the sparkling teleportation beam she could see her friend lunge forward, hurtling over the heads of the soldiers with a bellow of rage, grabbing for Kim and howling in frustration as her flexing hands passed through her friend's feet. Bulk started forward, his mouth forming what was surely a shout of angry frustration. The familiar buzzing began in her ears as the scene faded from view, and Kim found herself in a gray steel room, the sense of motion in the pit of her stomach unmistakable as the spacecraft lurched and sped her away from everything she loved.  
  
*************  
  
They watched in astonished disgust as Kim and her black-clad captors disappeared, even the injured. The spaceship lifted and sped into the sky like black lightning.  
  
The Red Zeo Ranger snarled in barely contained fury. "Come on," she said to the other nine, touching her wrist; as the beam enveloped her Bulk leapt forward and grasped her around the waist.  
  
"Oh, GREAT," the Red Ranger shouted as they touched down in the Command Center. "This is all I need. What the hell are you after?"  
  
Bulk backed away, hands up. "Take it easy, Trini. I just want to help."  
  
She froze at the sound of her name, struggling for composure. "You want to help, Bulk? Fine. I'll take all I can get." She spun on her heel and faced Zordon. "How the hell did those guys get Eltaran technology? You're the only ones who can teleport like that."  
  
"I would presume the same source from which they obtained the necessary information to destroy the Eltaran barrier," Zordon replied, evidently deciding to let the issue of Bulk's unorthodox appearance rest for now. "P'Tyr Krann is fully versed in our technology. It is the only way they could have reached Earth so soon, though what their object is in taking Kim I do not yet know."  
  
Trini absorbed that, then reached up and unlatched her helmet, throwing it across the room, where it clattered loudly against the wall. Eyes flashing, she turned to the others. "Now it's personal," she growled. "We leave today." 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
And for the record, noogies are when you dig your knuckles into someone's scalp. Nookie is something else entirely and Bulk is not doing that in this fic. Just so we're clear. Thanks to Carrie for pushing Trini to the edge, and to Rach and ScarletDeva for all the encouragement. And to Dagmar, who is making me write longer chapters, so if it takes longer you know who to blame. Go read their stuff too.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 22  
  
"All I'm saying is, there's something weird about this picture," hissed Rocky through the side of his mouth to Adam. The pair stood in the Command Center, watching Bulk learn the basics of their communications array. Trini was in the docking bay, going over supply lists with Zordon; Tanya and Kat were with the new recruits somewhere in the Center, Rocky wasn't sure where. He and Adam had planned to check on the search for Kim's captors but had been stopped by the sight of their old nemesis.  
  
Adam shrugged. "People change, Rocko. And we can use all the help we can get right now."  
  
"Yeah, but it's still weird."  
  
"I heard that." Bulk glanced up from where he stood leaning over the console, his gray eyes amused. "And I agree, Rocky. If you'd told me back in high school I'd be helping the Rangers go into space to save the world I would have chased you down for a noogie party you wouldn't forget." He straightened. "But here I am, and I'm glad to help. I just wish I could go with you."  
  
Adam offered a shy smile. "Maybe another time. How's that frequency scan coming?"  
  
Bulk frowned down at the console. "Slow. At least we don't have the barrier to contend with anymore; Alpha said it was a real pain getting through that. But the base isn't where it was, so I'm having to scan the whole planet and its moons. It'll be a little while, unless they contact us first."  
  
Adam seated himself at an adjacent console and began to tap the keys. "Any luck tracing the ship that took Kim, Alpha?"  
  
"Not so far, Adam," the little robot beeped. "Until they materialize outside the teleportation field I can't get a lock."  
  
"It's not like we don't know where they're going," Trini cut in, stalking past Rocky and leaning over Adam.  
  
Adam twisted to look up at her. "It's exactly like we don't know where they're going, Trini. I agree that they were probably Xeryan in origin, but –"  
  
"But nothing. This is a waste of time, Adam. We should be out there already, hot on their tail, instead of sitting here waiting for information we already know," she muttered, drumming her fingernails impatiently on the console deck.  
  
Adam frowned. "This isn't like you, Trini."  
  
"And how would you know that, Park?" she exploded. "My best friend in the world is out there, powerless, captured, maybe even dead, and I had to watch them take her. I couldn't do a bloody thing to help. I have to DO something! Now! Not later!" Trini huffed out an impatient breath, smacking her hand on the back of his chair. "Do you know what it's doing to me, imagining what might be happening to her?"  
  
Adam jumped to his feet, getting right in Trini's face. "And what? You think I don't care? That I can't imagine the same things? Listen, Kwan, you have a lot of nerve, thinking you've got a monopoly on being upset about this!" he shouted. Rocky's jaw dropped in surprise; Adam rarely raised his voice. The Blue Zeo Ranger glanced at Bulk, who watched the exchange uncomfortably as Adam went on, his voice harsh. "I don't like waiting anymore than you do, but what if we're wrong and it's NOT So'Vran? A wild goose chase is a hell of a lot more likely to get Kim killed than waiting to see where they take her now. We already lost one and I am not going to lose another of us, so Red Ranger or not, we are going to do this the right way, because it's our best chance at getting Kim home safe!" Adam poked a finger at Trini. "Now back off!" he snarled.  
  
Astounded by his friend's vehemence, Rocky swung his attention back to Trini, who was scowling, eyes narrowed, breathing harshly through her nose. Her voice was deadly quiet. "You'd better move that finger if you want to keep it."  
  
"All right, break it up, you guys!" hollered Kat from the door. Rocky jumped about a foot in the air, clutching his chest. He hadn't heard Kat enter the command chamber. "We don't have time for this!" She ran forward and interposed herself neatly between the two, facing Trini down.  
  
Tanya followed on the Pink Ranger's heels, pushing Adam back from the fray. "Come on, honey, stop this. We're all upset about Kim, but we need to fight together, not amongst ourselves!"  
  
A moment more ticked by, with Trini and Adam eyeing each other; then Trini spun on her heel and left in the direction of the docking bay. Kat turned to Rocky, who closed his mouth with a snap. "Nice intervention, Rocko. Why didn't you do something?" she said, her normally modulated voice seething with irritation.  
  
He blushed shamefacedly. "Tell you the truth, I didn't know what to do. I've never seen Adam like that, not to mention Trini. And it snowballed so quickly…" Rocky sighed. "The thing is, I kinda know how she feels, Adam." He watched his friend bristle and rushed to explain. "I'm pretty upset as it is; if it was you out there, instead of Kim, I'd be going nuts too."  
  
Kat shook her head, throwing up her hands. "Great. Just great." She stalked off after the Red Ranger, only to return a few moments later, her brow creased with concern. She sought out Tanya, who raised a questioning eyebrow. Kat nodded as though in confirmation.  
  
"Adam, honey," Tanya said gently. "Go after Trini."  
  
He looked at her mulishly. "I am not going to apologize."  
  
"I don't think you'll have to. Just go."  
  
***************  
  
Adam entered the docking bay warily. The brand new interstellar pod waited there, packed with supplies and ready to go as soon as they had the coordinates confirmed. He ran a hand over its gleaming side absently, wondering where Trini had gone.  
  
A sniff from the corner behind the ship answered that question. He peeked around the side.  
  
Trini sat, her back to the wall, her knees drawn up, her sleek dark head bowed. Her elbows were resting on her knees; her fingers thrust into her hair, her very posture one of abject misery.  
  
"Ah, don't," Adam whispered.  
  
Trini looked up, her eyes already swollen and red, her nose running. "S- sorry," she managed. "Didn't m-mean it."  
  
In answer he knelt by her and gathered her close, cradling her head on his shoulder. "Me either," he murmured, and with that she broke down completely. Adam rocked her gently, nodding at Tanya when she poked her head around the ship to see how things were going. She gave him a small smile and a thumb's up and retreated, but the sound of footsteps brought Trini around, and her sobs faded to hiccups.  
  
After a while she spoke. "I'm getting snot all over your uniform."  
  
"It's okay." He chuckled. "It's supposed to protect us from toxic substances."  
  
Trini giggled. "Shut up." Then she sighed. "Are we okay now?"  
  
"Yeah. We're okay." As if to confirm his words, their communicators went off simultaneously.  
  
"We've got a lock on 'em," said Bulk's voice. "Time to move out."  
  
**************  
  
"Almost got it," Billy muttered, more to himself than to the anxious man standing next to him. They were huddled in the makeshift comm room of the new base, hidden in the mountains near the Citadel. Taia was with her father, Jason and Aji were having some much-needed private time, Billy was working on the communications system and Tommy was hovering, driving him crazy. He sighed, gritting his teeth.  
  
"Can we raise Zordon?" Tommy leaned in eagerly, shouldering Billy out of the way.  
  
The scientist sighed in aggravation, rubbing the back of his neck wearily. "Tom, don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't get the hell out of here I'm gonna drop you like a bad habit." Tommy scowled; Billy scowled deeper. "Honest to God, Tommy, you are not making this any easier. I know what's at stake; he's my dad, after all. And I love Kim too. I will call you the second I get hold of anyone, okay?" Tommy looked at his friend mutinously. "Look," Billy continued, his tone less harsh, "I can do this faster without an audience."  
  
Tommy sighed, his shoulders drooping. "Okay. I'll go… do something or other." He slowly made his way to the door, his feet dragging, his attention on the communications array, willing it to work. Now.  
  
"Go, Tom," said Billy, not looking up.  
  
"Going." He hesitated anyway.  
  
"Out, Tommy." The scientist glanced up. "Don't make me go all Sentinel on you."  
  
"Hah," but it was a halfhearted protest, and Tommy finally left the room. Billy shook his head, trying to concentrate. He didn't blame Tommy, not really. With Peter in danger Billy only wished he had someone else to drive nuts, instead of the responsibility resting with him.  
  
Odds were, though, that Peter would be safe enough for now, if they were right about the mindscan. It was useless to demand a ransom if your bait was destroyed. And if there was a chance to prevent Kim being taken as well, then their best hope lay with getting this array up and running. The problem was that the base had been dismantled in such a rush, some of the systems had gotten damaged, and repairs were tedious to track and complete.  
  
However, Billy was nothing if not tenacious. He bent his head to the task again, his lip caught between his teeth.  
  
**************  
  
Cold. She was freezing, colder than she could ever remember being. And her head… ohh. Kim sat up slowly, grimacing, shivering, whimpering with cold and fear and pain.  
  
So she hadn't dreamed it all, then, the attack, the soldiers looking for someone, looking for her. Quarry established, one of them had said, and then they'd all surrounded her. She'd cried out for Trini, she remembered seeing the Red Zeo Ranger launch herself toward her, but the teleport had taken hold.  
  
Ugh. Come to think of it, she still felt queasy. Either she had a concussion, or they were still teleporting. She got up, felt her way around the darkened cell. Nothing. No seam in the wall to denote an exit. No way out. Kim wrapped her arms around herself, leaning back against the wall.  
  
"HEY!" Shouting hurt, too. She made a mental note, then ignored it. "HEY! I'M FREEZING MY ASS OFF HERE!" Kim pounded a fist against the wall. "ANYBODY HEAR ME?"  
  
Somebody did; the cell was slowly illuminated and a bundle appeared on the floor. She bent to it; inside were a pressure suit like the ones they'd prepared for the Rangers to wear in their pod, and a metallic blanket. Thankfully she exchanged her clothes for the suit and pulled the blanket around herself. And if she wasn't mistaken, the ambient temperature of the room was rising as well. Hmmm.  
  
"I'm also ravenous and I have to pee," she ventured in a more normal tone, and was rewarded moments later with some steaming, unrecognizable food and a receptacle with an obvious function.  
  
"Interesting." Kim made use of the receptacle and watched as it disappeared. "I hope you spill it on yourselves, you jerks," she said quietly, and tried the food. Disgusting texture, no flavor at all. But filling. The tray and cup disappeared as well, and Kim curled up in a corner, covering herself with the blanket. She could wait. She would watch, and wait, and learn their weaknesses, and when there was a chance, a place to go, she would get out of there. Or die trying.  
  
**************  
  
"Is everyone here?" Trini asked the person behind her distractedly, inputting the flight plan Bulk had calculated for the other ship.  
  
"Yeah, I think we're ready to go," said a voice she hadn't expected, and she swung her chair around.  
  
"Zack!"  
  
The handsome black man grinned. "You didn't think you'd be doing this without me, did you?" He gave her a brief hug. "Alpha called us; Aisha's here too. She's gonna stay and help Bulk out, and remind me to ask you what the hell's up with that when we have a minute. Zordon was cool with me staying or going, so I thought I'd hitch a ride. You mind?"  
  
A slow grin spread over Trini's face. "No way."  
  
"Good." He sat in the copilot's chair. "'Cause it wouldn't matter if you did."  
  
"I figured." She chuckled, opening the commlink. "Rocky? All set back there?"  
  
"Yep," came the eager response. "We're all here, ready to rock and roll."  
  
Trini nodded. "Commencing teleport sequence. We're a go, Zordon."  
  
"Ai-yi-yi!" a tinny voice sounded over the commlink. "Be careful, Rangers! And bring Kim back safe!"  
  
Zack grinned at Trini. "You bet, Alf. Catch you later."  
  
After the initial teleport, he looked at his copilot. "You hate that as much as I do?"  
  
"Yep." She made a few adjustments to the flight plan. "Our best chance of making good time means we do a series of teleports along the Eltaran grid, finishing up by pirating the Xeryan grid. It's pretty new, so there's a chance they won't catch us at it."  
  
He frowned. "A chance, huh?"  
  
Trini shot him a half smile. "Yeah, well, what's life if you don't take a chance now and then?"  
  
Zack thought about that, returning her smile. "Good point. Let's live a little."  
  
"Commencing second teleport sequence," Trini announced, listening with amusement to the groans coming over the commlink.  
  
*************  
  
"Zordon! Alpha! Come in!"  
  
Aisha ran to the communications console, jabbing at it with her thumb. "Bill? Billy!"  
  
"Aisha? That you?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me. You guys okay?"  
  
"The base was attacked. My dad's a prisoner; at least I hope that's all he is." There was a muttered conversation on the other end, then Billy continued. "Listen, 'Sha, there may be a problem. Kim may be in danger."  
  
Aisha sighed. "Too late, Bill. They took her. The guys went after them."  
  
Another voice broke in with a loud and explicit epithet.  
  
Aisha exchanged startled glances with Bulk. "T-tommy?"  
  
Another string of muttered curses, then Tommy spoke again. "Yeah, I'm alive, 'Sha. Long story. Did they hurt her?"  
  
"Knocked her down, but nothing serious as far as I could see," interposed Bulk. "I'm sorry, Tom, I tried to get to her. Trini did too, but there were too many of them."  
  
There was a long, silent pause.  
  
"No, it can't be," said Billy.  
  
"Bulk?" said Tommy incredulously.  
  
"You've got five seconds to get over it," said Bulk briskly. "I'm gonna patch you through to the pod just as soon as they're between jumps, which should be in about – three – two – one – Tri! Hey, Tri, you read me?"  
  
"I'm here, Bulk. What is it?"  
  
"I got Billy and Tommy on the comm. Hang on, patching them through. Go ahead, guys, but make it count."  
  
Trini sounded completely floored. "Did you say Tommy?"  
  
"I'm here, guys, I'm okay," Tommy said, and cheers erupted through the link as Bulk and Aisha grinned at each other. "Listen, what happened to Kim?"  
  
"So'Vran's uglies just showed up and took her, Tommy," said Trini. "We're going after them now."  
  
Billy jumped in. "Sending you coordinates of the new base, guys. What's your flight plan?"  
  
"Is this a secure frequency?" Trini wanted to know, laughing slightly at Billy's long-suffering sigh. "Sorry, I should have assumed. Sending flight plan and ETA."  
  
"All right, we'll see you soon. Be careful, you guys, okay?"  
  
"Will do, my main brain," put in Zack irrepressibly.  
  
"ZACK?" the Xeryan duo said in stunned unison, their only reply Zack's hearty laughter as the pod jumped back into teleport. 


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Thanks to Carrie for getting me out of that big plot hole. And to Dagmar, who although HER last chapter posted was about a sentence and a half, is bugging ME to write longer chapters. Of course a sentence and a half by Dagmar is worth about six chapters of mine, so I guess it evens out. Also to Rach and ScarletDeva for all the encouragement. Go read their stuff too.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 23  
  
They were landing. Huddled sleepily beneath the metallic blanket in her corner of the cell, Kim opened one chocolate-brown eye. The drag and shudder and shift of the ship was familiar, similar to the way she felt at the end of each of Zordon's teleports back home. Like a special effect from one of those dumb movies Tommy used to drag her to, where someone would slip into slow-motion and freeze in midair and the camera angle would spin around, giving the viewer whiplash.  
  
Kim sighed, standing and stretching. The pressure suit was really very comfortable. She'd mostly used the blanket to cover herself because she'd had the creepy feeling that someone had been keeping an eye on her. Every request she'd uttered had been considered by someone, the reasonable ones answered, the sillier ones (like knockout gas, a crowbar, the head of So'Vran on a platter) ignored. So it was plain that someone was listening in; it followed that they might be watching too. And that gave her the heebie-jeebies.  
  
She straightened her slim shoulders. Time to implement plan B, Kim thought. The waiting part of watching and waiting was over; time to pay close attention, and find a time to act. For a second she wished her days as a Ranger weren't *quite* so far behind her. On the other hand, all those martial arts lessons in Florida might just pay off. She'd kept up with them, liking the flexibility and strength it gave her to back up her gymnastics training. Later, after the biggest mistake of her life who shall remain nameless but whose initials were Roy the Asshole, she stayed with it because it made her feel closer to Tommy.  
  
Tommy. Her lips tightened against the rush of emotion that flooded her at the thought of him. What idiots they'd both been. He'd pushed her too far; she'd pushed him away. Now he was gone, and the odds of her survival… She looked around the bleak cell. Well. If this was the end, she'd make him proud, anyway.  
  
The air around her shimmered as a teleport beam enfolded her, depositing her in a huge docking bay. Kim looked around quickly. Oh, lord, there had to be hundreds of figures in black bustling about, servicing more spacecraft like the one she'd been taken by. More figures in red moved about on catwalks lining the walls and overhead. Was this the kind of force the Xeryans were up against?  
  
A sharp nudge in her back brought her around; she stumbled forward in the direction the guard indicated. God, she hoped the rebel forces were as well organized as this, but she doubted it. Though they had to have something going for them. Hadn't Zordon said they'd been fighting against So'Vran for thousands of years?  
  
They walked down a corridor, the tiny prisoner flanked by four menacing guards. If she weren't so scared and angry Kim thought she could almost be complimented. They obviously thought she posed some sort of threat. Which brought her back to the why of all this: what did they want with her, of all people? Gave a whole new meaning to being popular when people came across the galaxy looking for you.  
  
She was babbling mentally, Kim thought ruefully. Well, whatever worked to keep the dogs of fear at bay.  
  
A door slid open, Kim was shoved inside, caught by a strong pair of arms. She knew those arms. They'd put countless bandages on her skinned knees, pushed her on countless swings, held countless cameras to take pictures of her and Billy and the others.  
  
"Mr. C.?" she gasped out, smothered against his chest as he wrapped her in a protective hug.  
  
"Kim, honey… did they hurt you?" Peter checked her over; all Kim could do was stand there, surprised into silence. "Are you all right?" He folded her close again. "I'm so sorry you're caught up in this mess, sweetheart."  
  
"What's – what's going on, Mr. C.?" Kim shook her head. "Are you okay? How did they capture you? Are Billy and Jason all right?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know, honey. I hope so. The base was attacked; they seemed to be looking for something, and it seems they were looking for me. Iannos tried to stop them, but…" he shuddered. "The boys and Taia weren't there, so it's possible they're all right."  
  
"Is – is Jason's father…?" Kim was aghast.  
  
Peter shrugged again, his shoulders slumping. "I just don't know. Nor do I know what they want with us. Frid took my files and with them has access to everything I know about the rebel forces and Eltaran technology, so I can't imagine what more I could offer So'Vran." His voice trailed off dispiritedly. "The only thing I can think of is as a hostage I'm some sort of liability to Billy, and that's how So'Vran plans to use me, to force Billy's hand."  
  
Kim patted him on the shoulder. "Then he doesn't know Bill very well. Don't worry, he won't do anything stupid."  
  
Peter looked thoughtfully at her. "None of which explains what So'Vran wants with you. I suppose, since you and Bill are so close, you might be in the same position I am."  
  
It was Kim's turn to shrug. "I know Billy loves me and all, but it seems like an awful lot of effort for a friend, don't you think?" Briskly she paced the cell. "Doesn't matter anyway. I don't plan on staying here long enough to find out. Do these guys have any weaknesses? A routine, a chink in their armor, something we can exploit?"  
  
Peter shook his head. "Not so far. They've largely left me alone, until now."  
  
"How long have you been here?"  
  
"I'm not sure. A day, two, maybe a little longer."  
  
"Hmm." Kim scanned the door, her delicate fingers tracing the seams. "What's keeping the door shut?"  
  
Peter thought about it. "Electromagnetic bolt, most likely."  
  
"It's not hot, though. No dangerous force field, no electric shock to discourage us, nothing like that." She ran her hands over the door experimentally.  
  
Peter nodded slowly. "I doubt it's occurred to So'Vran that we might be given any opportunity to escape. His soldiers are very well trained."  
  
"Okay." Kim grinned at him. "So then we *make* an opportunity."  
  
*****************  
  
Aji sighed and cuddled closer, her head pillowed on Jason's magnificent chest, her fingers weaving themselves through his. "So my bond with Tommy doesn't bother you, the fact that when armored we're essentially mentally interchangeable?"  
  
He ran a warm hand over her skin, a rumble of laughter spilling from his lips. "I suppose it depends on what the two of you are thinking about. You accepted the lifebond when you were armored; does that mean I should go seduce Tommy too?"  
  
She laughed. "No, idiot. I just don't want anything to mess us up, after I gave us such a difficult start."  
  
Seeing she was serious, Jason gave it some thought. "Because it's Tommy, no," he said after a while. "Though if I'd known the two of you were alone together in a rainforest paradise I probably would have been jealous. Lifebond aside, you're a babe, and I couldn't blame the guy if he made a play for you, since at the time you didn't want me." Aji smiled and rubbed her cheek against him. "What?" Jason tilted her face up to look at her. "Did he?"  
  
She chortled with laughter. "No. His heart is too full of someone else."  
  
"Kim?" He pulled her across his body, wrapping his arms around her. "I always thought Tommy was still in love with her, though he wouldn't talk about it. You think they've gotten through to Zordon yet?" Aji mentally consulted Tommy and frowned deeply at the reply. She rolled off the bed, flicking a glance and a thought at Jason, whose countenance darkened as he began to pull on his suit. "Damn So'Vran," he gritted through his teeth. "If he's hurt Kim, I swear I'll kill him."  
  
Aji's green eyes were hard. "You'll have to get in line." She ran her fingers through her short hair and took his hand. "Let's go."  
  
************  
  
In the pod, Zack glanced over at Trini, who was frowning in concentration. "Rocky," she said abruptly through the commlink, "get up here. I need you at ops. Adam, Tanya, Kat, get to the gunports, just in case." Zack turned his attention to the expanse of space ahead of them. They'd made their final jump within the relative safety of the Eltaran teleportation grid; now they needed to sneak into the Xeryan grid and hope there wouldn't be an armada waiting for them at the other end.  
  
"You know, T, it's just occurred to me," Zack ventured.  
  
"What?" she said, almost absently.  
  
"This is a crap idea."  
  
An involuntary grin crossed her face. "It is, isn't it? Got a better one, Taylor? I'm all ears."  
  
"No," he said airily, glad he'd released some of the tension in her shoulders. "It just needed to be said."  
  
Rocky slipped into the seat behind Zack, sparing him a grin. He punched a few buttons on the ops console. "I got Tom for you, Trini."  
  
She nodded her thanks. "Hey, Shadow, you read?"  
  
"Like a book, Red. You about ready for us?"  
  
"Yep. Making the leap in fifteen seconds. ETA three minutes from then."  
  
"Right. Bill's calculated your reentry point; Light and I will meet you there."  
  
Trini gave a short nod. "See you soon." She took a deep breath, speaking into the comm. "Shields up, Rocky. Final teleportation sequence in five – four – three – two – run silent, everyone."  
  
Zack held his breath as the stars faded from view.  
  
**************  
  
The cell door slid open abruptly; Kim and Peter whirled to face their captors. Black-clad soldiers came into the room and urged the two prisoners to move with none-too-subtle force, prodding them harshly with their weapons when there was a sign of hesitation or resistance. Back to the corridor they were ushered, through a maze of hallways until they came to an impressive archway, beyond which they could see what could only be described as a control room, filled with sophisticated equipment that reminded Kim of the Command Center.  
  
And seated in a stark throne, flanked by armed guards, was the black and fearsome figure of So'Vran himself.  
  
He stood, his shoulders proudly back, his too-dark eyes narrowly focused on his captives. Head to toe in darkest black, the lights in the room glinting off the body armor he wore beneath the hooded robe, So'Vran stood head and shoulders taller than Peter, no slouch himself in the height department. Absolutely dwarfed by the evil majesty before her, Kim shivered when that cold stare passed over her; Peter's lips curled in a derisive snarl.  
  
"So." So'Vran's voice was cold and black as well, deep and rough, harsh and forbidding. He swept from the dais and approached them. Immediately Kim could feel the chill fingers of a stasis beam twine around her, immobilizing her, rendering her vulnerable to So'Vran's inspection. She could just see Peter out of the corner of her eye; he too was frozen in place, his expression defiant.  
  
"So," So'Vran repeated, eyeing Peter with disdain. "This is the consort of the coward Sentinel, who fled this planet rather than face my wrath. It is a pity your woman could not be here, P'Tyr Krann. I would have enjoyed breaking her." Peter bared his teeth, struggling. "No matter. I think your son will provide me with as much sport."  
  
Peter's blue eyes flashed angrily. "My son will destroy you, So'Vran. Nelin foresaw it, and you know it. You do well to fear him. And any outrage you visit on me or this girl will be returned to you a thousandfold."  
  
So'Vran smiled, and Kim's skin crawled. "This is the vaunted intellect of which I have heard so much? You are mistaken, P'Tyr Krann. Fear your son, an untried Sentinel, and his little playmates? Nonsense. I shall destroy your son, and you will watch. I shall flay the very skin from his body, and you will watch his heart beat its last when I pull it from his chest." So'Vran chuckled. "But you I will not kill, so that you may remember, and know who is your master."  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud," said Kim forcefully. "Who writes your dialogue, Darth?" Her only thought had been to get the tyrant's attention away from Peter; Kim quickly rethought her strategy as So'Vran's gaze settled on her. She flinched as he leaned in close, studying her features, but she kept her chin up. "And by the way, the only guy who could get away with that outfit is the guy on Iron Chef, and I'm not too sure about him."  
  
So'Vran began to laugh, which somehow frightened Kim more than his ire would have. "What an amusing little monkey it is," he smiled. "Perhaps I shall keep it as a pet when it has served me in this endeavor." Still chuckling benevolently, he raised a fist and backhanded her across the face, hard. The stasis field prevented Kim from actually falling. Her eyes stung with tears, something warm and wet crawled down her face from her nose. She could taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.  
  
Peter lunged forward ineffectively. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"  
  
So'Vran cocked a heavy eyebrow in his direction; a guard stepped forward and coldcocked him with the butt of his weapon. Peter's knees sagged; Kim screamed in impotent fury. "STOP THIS! What do you want from us?"  
  
He turned back to her, tracing the emerging bruise on her cheek with a thumb. "From you, little. From your loved ones… somewhat more." His fingers curled around her face, pulling her forward painfully as they dug into the soft skin of her jaw. "I would suggest you keep that tongue of yours under control, little monkey. I have no real need for a pet, after all." With that he turned on his heel, crossing to a console, popping it with his thumb. A blank, semi-transparent screen appeared in the middle of the room. "All frequencies open. Attention Sentinel, Guardian, Paladin, Light and Shadow. This is So'Vran." He waited; the screen sputtered with static, then blinked open like a giant eye, showing a concerned Billy, Taia, and Jason. Billy's lip curled in an expression of furious disdain, similar to the one his father had worn; Taia frowned darkly. Jason's entire face drew down thunderously as he studied the blood and tears on Kim's face.  
  
"This won't stop us, So'Vran." Billy's voice was controlled, but Kim could tell he was filled with rage. "You're a fool if you think it will. Hurt them and your end will merely be swifter."  
  
"My end." So'Vran's voice dripped with disgust. "You are much like your mother, boy, full of false portents and impotent threats. In the end she fled me. You will have no such chance. And your father will pay for your insolence. Beginning now." He nodded curtly; a guard stepped forward and wrapped his fingers into Peter's hair, exposing his throat. So'Vran gave Billy's image one of those benevolent smiles Kim was quickly learning to dread. Billy's jaw worked silently, his blue eyes icy. So'Vran nodded again, and without further ado, the soldier cut Peter's throat.  
  
Blood flooded from the wound, drenching him. Wide-eyed, Kim screamed, long and loud, the tendons in her throat cording. Billy leapt forward as if to come through the screen, roaring inarticulately. Peter's stasis field let go suddenly and he pitched forward with a wet gurgle, clawing at his throat.  
  
"I am told, boy, that Sentinel is quite a healer," So'Vran said nonchalantly. "It is a pity that you are not here."  
  
"Dad! DAD!" Billy shouted, ignoring the tyrant. "Oh, God… DAD!"  
  
"Ah well." So'Vran seemed to consider briefly, then crossed to the twitching Peter, laying a hand on him. Peter's body relaxed, then arched up suddenly. "Remember this well, boy. I hold his life, and his death." The wounded man groaned, scrabbling to roll over as So'Vran stood, wiping the blood from his hand. Peter slowly made his way to his hands and knees, slipping slightly in the gore that surrounded him. So'Vran went on. "Tell the creature Shadow that I hold his beloved. I know he seeks to protect the ship that pirates my space. What I have done here I shall do again, and again, until you learn that I am master here." Peter got to his feet, unsteady but defiant. Kim stared in frightened amazement, realizing belatedly that the wound that had circled his throat was gone.  
  
"Don't… listen…" Peter rasped, his voice not remotely the warm baritone Kim knew so well. "Do what you have to, son. Don't let him get to you." He turned to So'Vran and spat on him before a pair of guards lunged forward to drag him back. 


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Many thanks to Carrie and Loog for the gratifying reactions to that last chapter. And to Dagmar, Rach and ScarletDeva for all the encouragement. Rach, I tried to clear this up a bit. Hope this is better.  
  
Okay, I know this is derivative, but what can I do? Sci-fi's not really my thing, at least not this part of it. Anyway, bear with me.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 24  
  
Tommy scanned the readouts in front of him. There they are, he said silently to his partner, whose forehead was creased in concentration.  
  
How many? Aji shifted in her seat, smoothly altering their fighter's course to stay out of their enemy's scanning field.  
  
Three.  
  
Okay. Worst case scenario we engage them one on one.  
  
Tommy's hazel eyes widened. Aj, did you see the size of those things? he asked, referring to the Citadel warships that lay in wait for the Rangers' pod. We'd be about as much trouble as a mosquito. He corrected himself at the look of confusion that crossed her face. An insect on Earth. A particularly annoying one.  
  
She smiled. Many insects carry venom, Tom. And I did say worst case. How much time left?  
  
ETA fifteen seconds. We better suit up. With a thought they summoned their shared power, white and black power flowing to cover them simultaneously. Aji spoke shortly into the commlink.  
  
Behind the nearest of Xerya's moons in a slightly larger fighter, Deorth leaned forward in anticipation, nodding at the message that came across his comm. "Ready to lock on."  
  
The space before them shimmered, the shadow of the pod beginning to take shape. The three warships moved in. Shadow glanced at Light. Let's make this convincing, Sparky.  
  
Ready when you are, Shad.  
  
They moved in unison, so smoothly in sync that they became two beings with a single mind, weaving shadows and light through the space around them. The ship under their control faded from view, dipping, swirling and weaving with them, cloaked in the invisibility that they created. Before them the pod solidified, then disappeared.  
  
******************  
  
On the bridge of the lead warship, the operations comptroller blinked in surprise. "Sir?" he spoke respectfully to his commanding officer.  
  
"What is it, Comptroller?"  
  
"The target appears to have… vanished, sir."  
  
The officer studied the viewscreen, stroking his chin. "So I see. Sensors?"  
  
"Still reading the ship, sir, but the location appears to have changed, although…" The ops comptroller squinted back up at the screen. "Do you see that, sir?"  
  
The officer studied the viewscreen. Where the pod had been was an area that seemed… rippled, distorted slightly. And surrounding that were five… no, six more areas that were similar. He frowned. "Theories, anyone?"  
  
One of the helmsmen swiveled his chair around. "Cloaking technology?"  
  
The officer's frown deepened. "Explain."  
  
"It is possible, sir, that these humans have achieved some sort of cloaking technology which renders them invisible to our sensors, and nearly invisible to view."  
  
"But the center ship shows up on our sensors."  
  
The helmsman shrugged. "True enough, sir. But we also had visual confirmation, though briefly. Is it not feasible that the cloak on that ship has malfunctioned, enabling us to detect it, though not accurately?"  
  
The officer pursed his lips. "Interesting theory, Helmsman. What is your view, Comptroller?"  
  
The comptroller shook his head. "It is certainly a viable theory, sir."  
  
"Hmm." The officer paced a few steps. "Expand your scans, Comptroller."  
  
"Sir."  
  
****************  
  
On the backside of the moon, Deorth's ship drifted quietly. Inside, he watched anxiously as a multicolored rainbow of light appeared in front of him, shadowy figures silhouetted within. When the figures had fully materialized, he spoke two brief words into the commlink.  
  
"Got 'em."  
  
Across space Light and Shadow nodded as one, shifting consciousness.  
  
Adam leaned forward, his eyes on Deorth's readout screen. "Where are they?"  
  
Deorth pointed to a fast moving speck, darting around the warships. "There, in that fighter. I've got a lock; I can 'port them out if they're discovered."  
  
Zack nodded, looking over Adam's shoulder. "Let's hope you don't have to. Time to start the show."  
  
****************  
  
"Sir, sensors read no life aboard the primary vessel," said the comptroller in frustration. "And I am unable to get an accurate reading on any other vessel. I am reading…" he shook his head in confusion, "one small fighter, moving fast in a random pattern. It appears to be completely unrelated to the areas in question. "  
  
The officer narrowed his eyes. Someone was playing a very deep game here, but what exactly it was he was still uncertain. "Target the primary vessel."  
  
The harried comptroller grimaced. "Sensors or visual, sir?"  
  
The officer thought about that; damned if he knew. He decided to pass the decision along. "Helm?"  
  
The helmsman swallowed audibly. "Visual?"  
  
"Very well. Visually target the primary vessel."  
  
As the comptroller obeyed, the pod suddenly reappeared in a burst of static, as though something had shorted out around it. "Which location is that?" barked the officer.  
  
"Visual, sir," came the reply.  
  
The officer smiled. "Excellent. Fire at will."  
  
A deadly barrage erupted from the lead warship, slicing through the aft end of the pod, which cracked and silently exploded, scattering debris wide. With that the six other ripples in space spread wide, forming up two on each warship.  
  
"Sir?" said the helmsman nervously.  
  
"Yes, I see," said the officer thoughtfully. Retreat? Or stand against this unknown foe? It seemed So'Vran had not been adequately informed about the level of technology the humans had achieved; certainly the cloaking technology was unexpected, not to mention the decoy sensor reading. What else could they be hiding? And how would So'Vran react to the loss of one or possibly more of his newest warships, on the eve of his triumphant push outward to conquer known space?  
  
A salvo of laser fire blasted from one of the shimmering areas opposing the lead warship, laser fire that had to have come from a cannon of impressive strength. "Evade!" cried the officer, but the helm was slow to answer, and the warship barely avoided a direct hit, the sudden lurch throwing the crew around like so many beans in a jar. The laser volley slid by, glinting in the viewscreen like the edge of a sword.  
  
His decision was made. "Retreat, full retreat," shouted the officer, and his order was echoed to the other two warships. They followed his lead, twisting in space to return to the haven of the Citadel.  
  
****************  
  
"They bought it," muttered Deorth with a grin. He thumbed the commlink. "Aji? Tommy?" Silence answered him, and Deorth uttered a succinct curse. "Aji, come in."  
  
Trini shot him a worried glance. "They didn't take any damage, did they?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. I think it's – come on, Aji, answer me!" No reply. "I think we'd better get over there." Deorth's fingers flew across the controls, and within moments they were pulling up along the smaller fighter. Nearby the pod hovered, undamaged.  
  
"Man, that was one kickin' illusion," said Rocky admiringly. "For a second I thought the pod had gone up for real."  
  
"I'm just glad So'Vran's goons believed it," said Kat with an affectionate arm around her boyfriend's shoulders.  
  
Trini was leaning over Deorth's shoulder. "I'll go over," she was saying. "It flies like this one, right?"  
  
He nodded. "About like this. Keep the comm open and I'll walk you through anything that throws you."  
  
Trini gave him a quick nod and a grin; he pressed a few buttons and she faded in a column of red light. "Who's bringing in the pod?"  
  
"I'll pilot, Rocky on ops," said Kat. "You sent over the coordinates?" Deorth smiled his confirmation and she looped her arm through Rocky's. "Then we'd better beat it in case those warships return for a closer look. See you down there." Two more columns of light, this time pink and blue, and the fighter was down to four occupants.  
  
"Trini? Report, please," Deorth spoke into the comm.  
  
*****************  
  
She straightened, popping the commlink switch, eyeing the unconscious forms of Tommy and the unfamiliar redhead on the fighter floor. "Yeah. Everyone accounted for, but they're not in great shape. They must have overextended, as you thought."  
  
Deorth's growl of irritation floated back through space at her. "I knew it. Aji has always been careless of her safety, but ever since her father – come on, let's get them home. Tai'll know what to do." With that the two fighters wheeled like birds of prey on the hunt and streaked toward Xerya.  
  
*****************  
  
"But it worked?" Taia asked Deorth, who was watching Trini, who was consulting with a medic.  
  
"Hm? Yes, it worked beautifully. The warships had no idea what to make of their conflicting sensor readings versus what they could see, and in the end opted not to take the chance that there wasn't an army ready to destroy them." Deorth smiled apologetically at Taia. "Excuse me, I have to go see someone." Trini had finished her conversation with the medic and was turning to go. The blond soldier slipped after the lovely Red Ranger, leaving Taia shaking her dark head.  
  
"Even in the midst of crisis…" she said softly to herself. With that in mind she began to look for Billy, who had spoken little since their confrontation with So'Vran.  
  
She found him at the tactical station, going over attack strategies for the nth time. Beloved?  
  
He answered her aloud. "What is it, Taia?"  
  
"Your friends have arrived."  
  
"Great." His tone was distinctly lacking in enthusiasm. "Anyone talked to Tommy yet?"  
  
"No." Taia sighed. "Both he and Aji are still unconscious."  
  
That caught his attention. "Unconscious? What happened?"  
  
"Burnout. Remember what Father said?"  
  
Billy finally focused on her face. "Yes, I remember…" He thought about the rest of that day too, the way he'd been greeted as a son by Iannos, how his own father had declared that Taia was his daughter too. And then the image of his father, clawing at his throat, the life spilling from him in a river of crimson… Billy looked at his love again, her dark eyes a lifeline as he drowned in fear and remembered anguish. Taia's expression reflected his sorrow; she knew exactly what he was thinking. "God, Tai… what am I going to do?"  
  
She put her arms around him. "Whatever you choose, William, we will do it together."  
  
************  
  
They were nearly back at the cell; Kim's body tensed. Now or never. Now or never. It ran through her head like a litany, like a jingle from a catchy commercial. Like a bad 80's tune you can't get out of your head. So'Vran was insane, and far more powerful than she had dreamed. They wouldn't survive him. Their only chance was to take a chance.  
  
Obviously they were less of a threat this time around, only two guards had been spared to escort Kim and the still-dazed Peter back to their cell. She touched his arm surreptitiously; he glanced down at her. Kim met his gaze frankly. Now or never, her brown eyes said. Now or never.  
  
Astonishingly, he seemed to understand her, and gave her a curt nod. As they rounded the final corner before their cell came into view, Peter stumbled and fell heavily against the guard nearest him. Kim seized the opportunity and spun into a powerful kick that blew out the other guard's knee, sending him abruptly to the floor. Continuing momentum carried her around, and she grabbed his weapon away from him and bashed his jaw with it, knocking him out. Another fluid movement brought the muzzle of her weapon level with the head of the other guard, who immediately swallowed the yell he'd been preparing to give.  
  
Peter wrested the other weapon free from the guard's nerveless hand, adjusted the setting, and shot him point-blank. Kim's jaw dropped. "Stun," he said tersely, showing her the setting.  
  
She dodged around the corner and popped her head back. "All clear," she whispered, and Peter joined her, leaning against the wall as he used the keypad to open the cell door. Kim dragged the inert weight of the guards into the small room, grunting a little with the effort, and the two escapees looked at each other as the cell door swished shut.  
  
"Which way?" Peter said, his voice still rough.  
  
Kim looked around. "I don't know. Not back that way. What do you people use for secret escape routes? And please don't tell me we're going to dive into a trash disposal pit."  
  
Peter grinned. "No, I have a better idea, Princess Leia."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yep." At that his expression was all Billy, and Billy at his most mischievous. "Sewers."  
  
Kim stared at him, then shook her head. "Today just keeps getting better and better," she muttered, slipping her shoulder under the older man's arm. 


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Many thanks to everyone for being so patient… tried to make this worth the wait.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 25  
  
"This isn't so bad," whispered Kim, looking around the sewer. "I was imagining slogging knee-deep through bodily waste." Peter laughed softly, and she slanted him a look. "This is like when you tried to convince Billy and me that unplugging your alarm clock would stop time, you horrible man." She punched him lightly in the arm, and he grasped her fist and tucked it in the crook of his elbow.  
  
"Just trying to lighten the atmosphere, sweetheart. Come on."  
  
They'd surprised another pair of guards, which had doubled both their store of weaponry and their chances of being discovered sooner. Peter had a weapon slung over his back and a second tucked under his free arm; Kim carried both of hers over one shoulder like a pair of deadly pocketbooks.  
  
Finding an access hatch had been no trouble, and they'd melted the lock to slag behind them. That last pair of guards had also been handily equipped with portable light sources, and these were now clipped to the fugitives' arms as they crept through the tunnel.  
  
The tunnel was clean, metallic, round, with a stream of clear water sliding along its floor. "It's more of an aqueduct than a sewer," Peter went on. "Self-contained, too, unfortunately. Solid waste is incinerated, liquid waste recycled. No access or egress."  
  
She stopped in her tracks. "So this is a good idea because…?"  
  
He tugged her along. "Because So'Vran put this system into place too rapidly to have built it from scratch. About a century ago our forces mounted an attack from the functional sewers, an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate So'Vran. In response he instituted this self-contained system to ensure that we couldn't try again. But most of the tunnels used were preexisting, so what we need to find is some way to get over into the old system."  
  
Kim nodded. "That'll be pretty heavily guarded, no?"  
  
"In some fashion, probably. Alarm, I would think."  
  
"Okay." She looked around again. "So what are we looking for?"  
  
Peter shrugged. "Good question. A door, a seam in the wall, maybe just a visual anomaly. I don't know whether he'd bother to camouflage it from this side. Just look for anything out of the ordinary."  
  
They walked in silence for long moments, alternating lefts and rights where the tunnels met or crossed in an attempt to avoid wandering in circles. In a swing to the left, Kim glanced right, and pressed her fingers into Peter's arm. "Hey."  
  
He looked back over her shoulder, and nodded. "Yep." They hurried in the opposite direction and were confronted with a large, oval door with a huge spoked wheel in the center to control the locking mechanism. "Probably hasn't been opened in a hundred years," Peter muttered, closely examining the edges of the door. "Now, where are you, you little rat b — aha." He indicated with his light beam a small connection at the side of the door. "There's the alarm, Kim."  
  
"Hm." She leaned close, squinting at it. "Can we bypass it, or do we just shoot it?"  
  
Peter frowned, thinking. "Bypass if we can. It'll give us a little longer to run, but we'll be down one light." He consulted the power indicator on his own light, then hers. "Yours has more juice than mine, so I'll cannibalize mine for parts. Shine that over here, will you?"  
  
It was an odd combination of forever and no time at all before Peter straightened and handed Kim back her light, scooting the leftover pieces of the other out of the way with his foot. "That ought to work, though I'm a little rusty on ancient electronics."  
  
"We'll know soon enough." They each grasped a spoke of the wheel and pulled; it took all of their combined weight before the wheel budged creakily, the sound echoing through the tunnel behind them. Kim gritted her teeth and glanced up at Peter, who nodded, his blue eyes determined. They leaned against the wheel again; it protested, grinding rustily, metal squeaking against metal… and then all of a sudden it let go, spinning crazily, sending Kim hurtling into the middle of Peter's chest with a squeak of her own.  
  
He put her down. "Remember when Zack convinced all of you to jump off the garage roof with an umbrella for a parachute? I barely caught you then, too."  
  
She chuckled. "Trini and Billy wouldn't do it, Jason made it okay, and Zack broke his arm. I remember. But I'm a little bigger now."  
  
Peter laughed. "Not by much." She glared at him, and he grinned. "Come on, Supergirl."  
  
**************  
  
Jason looked up at the sound of the medbay door opening. "Father? Should you be up?"  
  
Iannos limped slowly to his son's side, looking down at the pale face of the girl who lay unconscious on the biobed in front of them. "I am fine, Jason. Has she stirred?"  
  
"A little. I think she's just sleeping now, though it's hard to tell." Jason stood, offering the chair to the older man. "Is this normal for burnout?"  
  
"It would depend on the level of exhaustion, but it does not appear to be much different from that which Taia and I have suffered on occasion." He shrugged. "Though it is also true that these powers of Light and Shadow are unknown to me. How does Tommy fare?"  
  
Jason folded his powerful arms across his chest. "Pretty much the same, they tell me. I should probably go and see for myself, but – "  
  
Iannos offered him an understanding smile. "I was lifebound once myself, son."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Aji moaned slightly, her green eyes opening in a pained squint. "Jason?"  
  
Immediately he was by her side, grasping her hand securely. "Here, babe."  
  
The comm beeped. "Tommy's awake, Jase," said Adam's voice.  
  
Jason grinned. "Thought he might be. Thanks." The link beeped again, signaling the end of the message, and he looked down at Aji. "Do you guys do everything together? I could get jealous."  
  
"How are you feeling, little one?" Iannos asked gently.  
  
"Well enough, Pahpian, though my head pounds."  
  
Iannos bent to kiss her gently on the cheek. "You haven't called me that since you were a small girl, Aji. It gladdens my heart to hear you say it again, all the more so since I am to be your father now."  
  
Aji looked at him doubtfully. "Then you really don't object to the lifebond?"  
  
He gave her a mock-stern look. "Of course not, little one. Why would I? You are yourself, and responsible for your actions alone. And your actions have never made me other than proud." Iannos looked at Jason. "I honor your Bloodsong, my son. I welcome this union."  
  
Jason watched Aji as she registered the welcome she'd just been given, a slow but brilliant smile creeping over her face. "Thank you, Father," he said, slipping an arm around Aji's shoulders to steady her as she sat up.  
  
"And you are truly my Pahpian now," she added, kissing Iannos on the cheek. Glancing up at Jason, Aji swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm well enough, Jason. It's time to act."  
  
****************  
  
In a small conference room, Tommy paced incessantly. Trini watched him for about as long as she could stand, finally sighing in exasperation. "Tommy, sit or I am going to tackle you to the ground." He shot her a look from haunted hazel eyes, and she sighed again, more gently. "It's not your fault, Tom."  
  
"Didn't you hear what happened?" he growled. "That maniac killed Mr. C! Killed him! And then brought him back, like it was nothing! I can't even imagine how that must have – what if he's done something to – oh, God, Trini, how can you say it's not my fault?"  
  
Trini bit her lip. "It's as much mine as yours, then. I'm the one you trusted to keep things under control at home, and I'm the one who let them take her."  
  
Deorth caught Rocky's eye, leaned against the wall and stretched out his feet. "It's my fault too."  
  
"And mine," the blue Zeo Ranger added, sliding an arm around Kat's waist.  
  
"Don't leave me out of this pity party," she chimed in.  
  
"Yeah, I want to beat on myself too," Tanya threw in her two cents.  
  
"Who says you guys get to have all the fun?" Adam wanted to know.  
  
"Basically, what we're saying here is you're both full of it," Zack wrapped it up. "There's only one person to blame for all this, and that's So'Vran. Now unless one of you is hiding a thousand year old secret life, I suggest you let it go."  
  
"Easy enough to say," Tommy muttered.  
  
Zack's dark eyes were sympathetic. "Look, bro, I never said it was easy. And I do understand where you're coming from. But you're not exactly setting yourself up to be effective, hanging on to this guilt. Let's get her back first, and you can set fire to yourself or something later."  
  
There was a long pause, during which Jason and Aji came in. Tommy squared his shoulders, his mantle as leader too ingrained to ignore. "Right. So let's figure out a way to get them back."  
  
"Bill not here?" Jason asked.  
  
"He'll be along," Adam supplied. "He and Taia are hashing out some numbers, trying to figure out exactly what we have to work with after the last attack on the base." He shook his head, pulling his wife against his side. "I think he needs something concrete to do, you know?"  
  
"Yeah," Jason nodded sadly. "I know what you mean."  
  
As if in answer to their train of thought, Billy and Taia entered the room. The young scientist sat in the corner of the room, his expression preoccupied, while Taia called up a vidscreen monitor.  
  
"Okay," she began, her usually gentle demeanor replaced by that of a seasoned warrior. "We had some warning before the attack, so most of our ships got out. I've got teams working on arming the last of our hoverskids and runabouts so we'll have a full squad of small, maneuverable fighting craft as well as the seven warships we have left. The trick is going to be getting them close enough to do any real damage. If there were a way to get them actually into the Citadel…" with that she broke off and looked at Tommy and Aji.  
  
Aji nodded. "We can conceal them, at least from visual detection."  
  
"A whole squadron?" Jason expostulated. "You'll burn out again!"  
  
"Maybe," Aji inclined her head. "Your point?"  
  
Zack put a hand on his friend's arm before Jason could explode. "The point, Aji, is that nobody's expendable. It's okay, man," he added to a still- fuming Jason. "We'll just factor it in."  
  
"Already done," interjected Billy from the corner, startling them. "I've been doing some thinking, and I think our best shot at getting Dad and Kim back would be right before the first wave of attack." There was a series of slow nods around the tale as each Ranger took that in. "It seems to me our main problem lies in that we don't know exactly where in the Citadel they're being held. If there were a way to locate them, I'm pretty sure Tom and Aji could get in and out clean."  
  
Aji sat straight up, a look of surprised discovery on her face. "Tom!"  
  
He shot out of the seat Trini had coerced him into. "My God, you think?"  
  
"What? What is it?" Everyone leaned forward excitedly.  
  
Aji spoke up. "The Watcher said Tommy was lifebound to Kim. I know they're human, but he carries Xeryan power now, so what if – "  
  
Rocky was the first to get it. "—he can detect Kim psychically, because they're bound? It's like when I pick up the phone to call Kat and she's already there, calling me!"  
  
Jason turned to Tommy. "Can you, bro?"  
  
Tommy's hazel eyes were dark with determination. "I'm sure as hell going to try."  
  
***************  
  
Kim gasped, stopping short. Peter bumped into her from behind. "What is it?" he asked in concern.  
  
"It's – he – for a second I felt as though Tommy were here." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm an idiot."  
  
"No, you're not." He folded his arms around her for a quick hug. "And maybe he is."  
  
"Maybe." The single word broke on a sob, and they continued in silence for a while. Kim sighed, wrenching her mind to the present, and something struck her. "Mr. C.?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"We're not making any noise."  
  
He nodded absently. "Good. Stealth mode."  
  
"No, I mean, back there – " she waved her arm vaguely behind them, "—you could hear our footsteps, at least. Here, though, we're not making a sound… and is the ground a little squishy? Like walking on – I don't know – cotton, or something?"  
  
Peter froze in place. "Kim, stop." He directed the light to the floor of the tunnel, which was covered in a thick layer of a shimmery, gossamer substance. With a nervous flick he shot a beam of light down the tunnel.  
  
Ahead, in the gloom, a dozen or so black, fathomless eyes caught the glint of the light.  
  
Peter swallowed. "Oh, no." 


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
The goo hits the fan. Many thanks to everyone for not killing me after the last cliffhanger, and many apologies to Rach.  
  
  
  
Legacy, part 26  
  
  
  
Peter breathed a long string of curses, his attention riveted by whatever was lurking beyond the circle of their light, its many eyes glinting softly. Kim looked at him uncertainly. "That—" She cleared her throat and started again. "That sounds sort of not so good."  
  
One of the eyes blinked, and the darkness… shifted. Four long shadows detached from the whole and slid slowly toward them, dragging the enormous bulk of the spiderlike creature behind. The sound of its chitinous skin scraping against the walls and ceiling of the tunnel was a harsh whisper in the padded silence they'd been drawn into, and as it came into the light it blinked, each slightly protruding eye working independently of the others, like a chameleon's. It filled the tunnel completely, its forelegs drawn up against its sides. Its head was covered with rusty black velvety hair, striped in orange; gleaming, lethal mandibles twitched below, a viscous fluid drooling from them as though in delicious anticipation.  
  
"Oh. My. God. What in hell is that thing?" Kim whispered, her throat suddenly dry. She flinched backwards, and one of the impossibly long legs flicked toward her, close enough that she could make out the thick black hairs curving into hooks all along its length. It chittered at her, several fathomless eyes blinking, hitching its hulking body forward.  
  
"Don't… move…" hissed Peter through gritted teeth. "It's called a grat'lest; it is attracted to the thrill of the chase. You move, it moves faster."  
  
"Great." Kim was instantly motionless, her chocolate eyes darting between the monstrous nightmare and her best friend's father.  
  
His fingers flexed slowly toward the weapon over his shoulder; in response the massive head of the arachnid twisted in his direction, its jagged mandibles widening, the smaller maxillae within thrumming in expectation. Peter froze, and they waited, measuring each other. The creature looked back at Kim, then at Peter.  
  
"What's it doing?" Kim whispered, her lips barely moving.  
  
"Trying to decide which of us is easier prey," he replied out of the corner of his mouth. "You're significantly smaller, so I have a feeling it'll choose—"  
  
A leg shot out toward Kim, impossibly fast, nearly a blur, but she only had time to suck in a breath to scream before Peter squeezed off a deadly barrage, burning a large, dripping, steaming hole straight through the grat'lest. It staggered a bit, surprised beyond its own demise, the hooks of one leg stuck in Kim's suit; then thudded to the ground with a sigh.  
  
He grasped her arm, pulling her free of the leg, and hurried her toward the corpse. "Come on!"  
  
"Wait! What are you – " Kim drew back as Peter began to climb the hulk, his feet squelching in the muck of the spider's remains. "No. No way."  
  
"Kim!" Peter shook his head and reached for her arm, pulling her into the creature's body, now a mass of sticky gunk. His voice was urgent. "We've got to go, now, before they realize she's dead and come out to feed on the corpse."  
  
"What are you talking about? Before who realizes who's d—ungh!" Kim slipped in the slimy muck, landing on her hands and knees abruptly. "No, no… oh my God, gross! So gross…" moaned Kim as she picked her way through the grat'lest's translucent yellowish innards, still warm and pulsing. Gobs dripped onto her hair and shoulders, and she shrieked, then subsided into fierce mutterings as she got awkwardly to her feet. "Oh, God. I HATE this planet. I hate intergalactic megalomaniacs who drag people across the universe against their will for no discernible reason. I really, really hate spiders, especially this one. I hate not having had a shower for days. I HATE Tommy for being dead and I am beginning to hate YOU for dragging me through this and getting me all covered in smelly spider spleen!" One of the weapons dropped deep into a pile of gunk with a sticky plop. "And I am not picking that up."  
  
"Look, this is the only way out of here. Grat'lest don't nest deep, so we can't be far from the surface. But they do feed on the body of the– " Peter stopped and stared at the tunnel beyond, stumbling slightly as he absently pulled Kim free from the morass of yellow-green goo.  
  
Kim wiped a wad of snot-colored glop from her face and looked at him. He was gazing at the wall, which was… moving. "Oh, God, not another one," she wailed.  
  
He glanced back at her, his face grim. "Not exactly." A six-inch long leg cut through the heaving gossamer. "Maybe another thousand. Run!"  
  
The egg sac burst, scattering lean and hungry grat'lest young far and wide. Most of them swarmed over the corpse of their mother, screeching and chittering eagerly, devouring her, obliterating her from sight; the rest skittered over floor and walls toward Peter and Kim. There was no breath to scream as they sprinted, shooting what they could, which wasn't much. Kim's remaining weapon jammed, and she chucked it at the seething mob of spiders in disgust. Peter had a weapon in each hand, squeezing off shot after shot like a middle-aged action hero, killing a few with each controlled burst, which their brethren would stop to snack on before coming inexorably toward the scent of food.  
  
Kim rounded a corner and roared in frustrated fury. "NO!" There was the opening, there was the outside world, barred by a metal grate. She wrapped her fingers around the heavy bars and peered out, pressing her nose in between; they were high in the air, up the side of a cliff, perhaps, and they were absolutely, unequivocally, trapped. "NO, NO, NO!!!" She pounded her fists against the grate, turning to Peter with wide, wild eyes. He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close, turning her head into his chest so she wouldn't see the creatures come. The chittering came nearer, the black swarm flooded closer. Peter closed his eyes and waited.  
  
A voice rang out. "Move back!" Stunned, Peter spun Kim away from the grate as a large, solid, hammer-shaped shadow crashed through it; two figures hovered in the air outside, one dark, the other gleaming. The bright one raised both hands toward the impending swarm and brilliant power pulsed from her hands, burning the front third of the creatures to ash as the others scattered. The dark one reached for Kim, who turned to face him, her face white, her hands shaking.  
  
"T-tommy?" Then her eyes rolled back in her head as she fell forward in a dead faint.  
  
"Damn," he muttered as he scooped her up. "That's the second time she's done that. You got Mr. C., Sparky?"  
  
The white figure reached out to grasp a speechless Peter firmly around the waist, pulling him effortlessly into the air. "Ready to go, Tom. Where's our ride?"  
  
A hoverskid buzzed up. "Geez Louise, I'm right here," muttered Zack. "Some of us don't travel faster than a speeding bullet, you know. Buckle up, Mr. C." He did a classic double take, his handsome face wrinkling in distaste. "Aw, man, what the hell sneezed on you? And what is that nasty smell?" He shook his head in disgust. "You guys are gonna mess up my upholstery something fierce. Thank God I got the top down."  
  
"Zack?" Peter's voice came out a squeak. "What – how did you – Tommy? Is that really you?"  
  
The dark armor of Shadow drained away, leaving a smiling Tommy. "It's me, Mr. C. Aji and I are fine, but it's a long story, and we've got to get you home before Billy explodes."  
  
**************  
  
"Kim? Kim!" Tommy wiped the gook from her face with a damp cloth, and she stirred slightly. He smiled; God, even covered in gooey spider snot she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. What a complete idiot he'd been, letting her go. Her eyelids fluttered. Tommy chuckled softly, remembering the last time she'd fainted from surprise at seeing him with new powers. "Come on, Beautiful. Time to wake up." She opened her eyes then, staring at him in disbelief.  
  
"I don't believe it. Is it – is it really you?"  
  
Did she remember that was the same thing she'd said the other time? He remembered, every second of every moment he'd been with her. Tommy grinned, playing out the scene. "In the flesh." He held out his arms for the hug he expected.  
  
Caramel eyes narrowed; a small but powerful fist came out of nowhere, clipping him neatly across the jaw, sending him sprawling backward onto the floor of the hoverskid. Zack snorted, trying not to laugh; Aji hid a smile behind her hand. Tommy sent them a dirty look, rubbing his jaw. He looked back at Kim, who was sitting up, fire in those big eyes. "What was that for?"  
  
"You're alive!"  
  
"Yeah." Tommy sat on the seat next to her. "You got a problem with that?" She was sniffing, fighting tears. Damn, he hated when she cried. "Kim, honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"It's – I – oh, Tommy, I grieved for you! Hearing you were dead just about killed me! And then I get grabbed by a bunch of goons and dragged across the galaxy, and Mr. C. almost dies, and we had to crawl through a b-big sp- sp-spider, and there were a million l-little ones that were g-going to eat us, and you show up to save the day and ask m-me wh-what's wr-wr-wrong?" She broke down then, and he pulled her to his chest, disregarding the smelly ooze that clung to her.  
  
"Shh…" He nuzzled her hair, ignoring Zack's groan of disgust as it stuck to his face, glued there by green glop. "It's okay, love. We're together now, like we're supposed to be." She looked up at him questioningly. "I love you, Kim. More than I ever thought I could." With that he kissed her.  
  
Her lips were warm, and soft, and yielding, and Tommy began to drown in them like he always did… and then with a small thump in the middle of his chest she shoved him away, clearly irate again.  
  
"Wait just a second, buster. You love me?"  
  
He nodded, confused. Wasn't she supposed to be happy about this? "Yeah, I do."  
  
"Uh huh." Kim was practically snarling. "And when you showed up to rescue us, were you by any chance sporting a new power? Something dark… like Shadow, perhaps?"  
  
"Uh oh," said Peter.  
  
Tommy glanced at him, still perplexed, then returned his attention to Kim. "Uh… yeah."  
  
This time he didn't even see her fist coming, but there he was, on his butt with a very sore jaw. "I'm YOUR biggest weakness?" Kim hollered. "You think maybe you might have told ME before blabbing it to some intergalactic terrorist, you big, dumb— Shadow, my ass! Geez, Oliver, you don't write, you don't call, you leave me high and dry in Florida for YEARS thinking I've lost the great love of my life!"  
  
He sorted through that, seizing on the most salient point. "I'm the great love of your life?"  
  
She bared her teeth at him. "Don't go there, Oliver, if you hope to live to the end of this ride. I want a shower, I want a decent meal, and I do NOT want to talk to you." With that she folded her arms and went stony silent.  
  
He looked helplessly at Aji, who winced and shook her head. Zack raised his eyebrows and pushed the throttle to the max; Peter offered him a sympathetic smile. "She's been through a lot, son," he said quietly. "Don't push her."  
  
**************  
  
"Hey, here they come," cried Rocky, who had been eagerly scanning the docking bay ever since word had come that the rescue was a success. Everyone gathered around, Billy at the front, his blue eyes anxious, as the hoverskid pulled smoothly to a stop.  
  
"Dad! Thank God," he grabbed his father in a hard bear hug, pulling back slightly a moment later, his nose wrinkling. "Ugh! What is that all over you?"  
  
"Grat'lest innards, if I'm not mistaken," said Taia, making a face as she hugged him too. "I'm glad to see you alive and well, if not exactly pristine. Come, the medics want a chance at you." They led him toward the medbay, Billy supporting his father as they walked.  
  
The others surged forward to greet Kim, who clambered out of the hoverskid, slipping slightly. She glared at all and sundry. "Yeah, yeah, hi. Shower. Now. And I don't want to talk to anybody until after." Trini opened her mouth; Kim glared her into silence, holding up a hand. "Uh uh. Later." Trini shut her mouth with a snap and pointed in the general direction of quarters. "Good." The petite, slimy woman stalked off, Trini hurrying behind.  
  
Aji rounded on Tommy. "Of all the hamhanded, idiotic buffoonery that had to be the worst! It's no wonder you haven't got a life!"  
  
He glared at her. "What?"  
  
She mimicked him, hands on hips. " 'Hi, I'm not dead, I love you even though we haven't seen each other in years and by the way you're here because of me.' Honestly, Tom."  
  
Kat stared. "Oh, he did not."  
  
Aji folded her arms. "He absolutely did."  
  
Jason winced. "Smooth, bro."  
  
Tommy growled. "Anybody else want to weigh in on my love life?"  
  
"Or lack thereof," piped up Rocky.  
  
Trini came back from showing Kim the shower. "Geez, Tom, what did you do?"  
  
"Why does everyone assume this is my fault?"  
  
In answer they just looked at him. Tommy rolled his eyes.  
  
Aji got in his face. "Go after her." He shook his head. Her green eyes narrowed. "You are not giving up again, Tommy."  
  
"You heard her. She hates me."  
  
"Oh, that's it." Without preamble Aji hauled off and punched him, and once again Tommy met the floor in an abrupt introduction.  
  
He snarled as he got up. "That's getting fairly old, Aj."  
  
She curled her hands into fists. "You want to make something out of it?"  
  
"Hey now." Jason stepped between them. "Just calm down, both of you."  
  
Aji shook her head. "You don't get it, Jason. Tommy and I… we're inside each other. He feels what I do, sort of, and vice versa. The thing about Kim is… in a way I love her too. And I am NOT going to let him throw everything away. Again."  
  
Jason looked at his friend. "How about it, Tom?"  
  
He looked uncertainly at the group watching him avidly. "So you all think I'm being an idiot?" There was a general murmur of assent. "And you think I should go after her?" Another murmur, more emphatic. "Okay. I'll talk to her later."  
  
Aji spun him around by the shoulders and shoved him toward the quarters. "No. Now."  
  
"But she's in the shower!"  
  
This time eight voices answered him as one. "AND??"  
  
Tommy thought about the possibilities, and a slow grin spread across his face. "Okay then." And he went, accompanied by applause.  
  
**************  
  
A baleful brown eye peered from the shower in Trini's lavatory. "Oh, this better be good."  
  
Tommy swallowed. It never failed. He'd faced down countless monsters, but one tiny woman could bring him to his knees. "Sorry, Kim, but I need to talk, and you need to listen. At least this way you won't run off."  
  
"I thought I said – "  
  
He cut her off. "Yeah, you said. And I heard you. But you're always the one saying things, making pronouncements, like 'I don't love you that way anymore'. And it's my turn now. Finally."  
  
There was a long silence. "So talk."  
  
Where to start? Clearly, with the most important thing. "Kim, I love you, I always have. I always will, no matter what. I've learned that, at least." Tommy sighed. "You have to know I would never have wanted you to come to any harm. When So'Vran grabbed you I – " his voice failed for some reason, and he cleared his throat. "I felt like I was going to come apart at the seams, just like I did on Muranthias, when you and Jase were captured by Divatox. But Kat and I were dating back then, and you didn't seem as though you wanted anything to do with me, so I figured you were happy and I let it go. I was stupid. In the end I hurt Kat anyway, neglecting her the same way I did you. But you know the difference?" He sighed again, leaning against the washroom wall. "With you I always knew I was screwing up. I felt guilty about it, but I figured you'd forgive me. Aji says I was just waiting to see how far you'd let me push, and she's probably right. But with Kat… I did care about her, but somehow I never really realized I was neglecting her until it was too late. I just pushed her away, and felt bad after, but it wasn't the same." He fisted his hands. "Nothing's been the same, Kim. Nothing ever will be, unless you let me love you the way I want to. The way I should have done from the start. I was scared, Kim. But I'm not scared anymore."  
  
He counted his heartbeats before she spoke. There were ten. A wet head poked out from the shower. "Liar."  
  
Tommy looked at her. God, he loved her so. "Yeah, okay. I am scared. Scared to death that you won't love me again."  
  
He couldn't read her expression. "Funny word, again. That would imply that there was a time when I had stopped."  
  
There was a huge, burning lump in his throat that he had to speak around, and his voice came out strangled. "Kim?"  
  
"Oh, Tommy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken everything out on you. Losing you all those years ago, dealing with your death, finding you alive after all… it's been rough."  
  
"It never should have happened, Kim."  
  
"I know, but it's over. Maybe we should just make sure it doesn't happen again." She stepped from the shower, holding out her arms. Tommy shook his head, dizzy as all his blood raced south. "Come here."  
  
He opened his mouth to speak and decided there were better things he could do with it. Less than a heartbeat later he was across the small room, holding the warm, clean, dripping, slippery love of his life and his mind disconnected when she found the opening to his suit and used it. "This time forever, Kim," he managed to say coherently before things got totally out of hand.  
  
She smiled. "It was always forever, Tommy." And then things got totally out of hand.  
  
*************  
  
Later there was a brief period of quiet in Trini's bedroom, punctuated only by the rustle of sheets or an occasional gentle sigh of happiness.  
  
The commlink buzzed. "Tom?"  
  
A fist slammed down on it. "No."  
  
A few minutes passed, and it beeped again, this time a different voice. "Hey, Tommy…"  
  
"I said no."  
  
There was another pause. *Beeep.* A third voice. "Tom!"  
  
"The next person who interrupts me is going to be killed."  
  
"But is everything all right? Did you talk to Kim?"  
  
This time the answering voice was female, low and purring. "Everything's… ummm… fine. We'll get back to you in an hour or so, 'kay?"  
  
The answer was directed at someone on the other end. "Oh, oops. Maybe we should have just asked Aji…"  
  
Tommy looked down at Kim, laughing softly, stroking the soft skin of her back. "So where were we?"  
  
She curled her arms around his neck. "Right about here." 


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
A few choruses of "Just Before the Battle, Mother" would come in handy here. Was going to make this go farther, but there's so much stuff to squeeze in before the end! A belated sorry to all who were skeeved by the grat'lest… though that was sort of the point.  
  
Legacy, part 27  
  
  
  
Not far from the back of the docking bay was a makeshift canteen, more of a gathering place than a cafeteria, though there was no shortage of volunteers to help in passing out provisions. The Ranger men were busy on various projects: Billy in the lab (no surprise there) ably assisted by Adam; Jason with his father; Rocky and Zack in the docking bay, the former to learn the finer points of piloting Xeryan craft, the latter to scrub out the hoverskid he'd borrowed to help rescue Peter and Kim. The Ranger women, at loose ends, decided to scout out Aji and Taia.  
  
"There they are," Trini said as they entered the canteen, waving to the Xeryan women, who'd staked out a table.  
  
"I am so hungry," said Aji by way of greeting, rubbing her midsection. "Think we can get anything out of Medja now? Or is it all for tonight?"  
  
"So there is something going on," said Tanya in a tone of discovery as she scooted her chair in. "I though there was an awful lot of hustling happening."  
  
"And there's an air of anticipation. Everybody's excited about something. So what is it?" Kat wanted to know, blue eyes alight.  
  
"Battle celebration. It's a tradition, begun by the first to defy So'Vran. You are honored guests tonight; I hope you enjoy it." Taia beckoned to a middle-aged woman, her once blonde hair liberally streaked with gray, her blue eyes kind. She wore a spattered white coverall and carried a large silvery spoon. "Any food for a hard working Guardian, Medja, dear?" Taia wheedled, her dark eyes large and puppylike.  
  
"Don't make us wait for later, we're starving," added Aji with a mischievous smile.  
  
Medja shook her head, a half-smile on her face. "Some things never change. One less hoarfruit pie for tonight won't matter much, I suppose. But there is a price."  
  
Kat, Trini, and Tanya exchanged surprised glances. "We thought Xerya used no currency –" Trini began, then broke off with a laugh of understanding as Taia and Aji scrambled to their feet and embraced Medja affectionately, kissing her soundly on both cheeks.  
  
"Payment enough?" Aji gave her an extra squeeze.  
  
Medja smiled broadly. "That will do for now, my dears. I am so very glad to see both of you! First I thought we had lost you," she tapped Taia on the nose with one finger, "and no sooner had we got her back than you disappear." She waggled her spoon at Aji. "No more of that, now. A mother can only take so much." She nodded at the other three women. "Forgive me, I've known them since they were children."  
  
"And they were lucky to have you," Kat said with an answering smile.  
  
Medja blushed. "I'll be back with the pie." With that she bustled off, skirting empty tables as she headed toward the kitchen.  
  
"What a lovely woman," said Trini, looking after her.  
  
Taia nodded. "Medja is mother to all who have none, favorite aunt to the rest."  
  
"Has she any children of her own?" Tanya asked, absently sliding a palm over her belly.  
  
Aji grinned. "Just one, and a spoiled brat he is. Oh, hi, Deorth, didn't see you there," she added mock-innocently as the blond soldier slid into the seat next to Trini.  
  
"Shut up," he said good-naturedly. "Billy sent me to track you down. Hi, Mum."  
  
Medja placed the steaming pie in front of them. "Don't spoil your appetites, now." She gave her son an affectionate buss on the forehead before getting back to the kitchen.  
  
"What did Billy want?" said Taia, getting to her feet.  
  
"What's the hurry? Got a grat'lest in your pants?" Aji bit into her slice of pie with gusto. "Mmmm, so good."  
  
Deorth reached across the table and flicked a finger against Aji's head, chuckling when she made a face. "Enough out of you. Go ahead and eat, Tai. He just wanted me to tell these three," he smiled at the Rangers, "that he's about done with the Zeonizers."  
  
Kat licked her two-tined fork with an appreciative purr. "Yum. What was he doing with them again?"  
  
Trini held up a hand until she had swallowed. "Wow. Good pie. He was fine- tuning the – oh, no you don't," and she pretended to stab Deorth in the hand that was creeping across the table toward her pastry. She relented with a laugh when he gave her a reproachful look, pushing her plate toward him. "Oh, go ahead. Billy thought the bright colors of our usual uniforms might be something of a liability, so he's toning them down a bit. We'll look more like the rest of the Xeryan rebels this way, not be such obvious targets."  
  
"Hey, anybody going to eat that last piece?" Tanya waved her fork at the serving platter.  
  
"They'll have to go through me to get it," Trini said with a meaning look at Deorth, who had opened his mouth.  
  
"What? I was just going to tell her to go ahead." Deorth stood with a grin. "I'm going to go anyway; I'm on a mission from Iannos. Aji, don't forget about the ethrull desyerti, and don't forget to talk to Tommy. Will I see you later?" The question was general, but his gray eyes were focused on Trini, who blushed.  
  
"Of course you will, Deorth. I have already talked to Tommy; and I have never been late for an ethrull desyerti except for once, and that was your fault," Aji said, rolling her eyes and shooing at him with her fingertips. "Now go away so we can talk behind your back." He grinned, and gave a small wave as he left.  
  
Trini tore her gaze from the door. "Did you get enough to eat, Tanya?"  
  
The dark-skinned beauty smiled. "Yes, thank you, mother. I'm stuffed. You and Deorth seem to be getting along well," she added airily.  
  
Trini ignored her friend, who started to giggle. "What did he mean by a mission from Iannos? And what's an ethrull whatever-it-is?"  
  
Taia and Aji exchanged amused glances. "That's the beginning of the festivities. You'll see. As for Iannos, we're on a similar mission, actually," the redhead said, looking past them toward the door, "and I was expecting – " Aji went white suddenly, and the others turned in their seats to see what had rattled her.  
  
A woman stood uncertainly at the entrance to the canteen. Taia growled low in her throat, her dark gaze locked on the woman. "If she's looking for trouble, she'll get more than she bargained for."  
  
Trini looked the woman over as she approached. Her hair was dark and close cropped, setting off exotic features: a wide mouth, long, aquiline nose, light brown eyes that contrasted startlingly with her dusky skin.  
  
Taia jumped to her feet so fast her chair fell over with a loud clatter; Aji stood slowly. When she was close enough the woman spoke, her voice sounding strained and nervous. "Aji."  
  
"Hezia," Aji nodded her bright head rather warily.  
  
Taia frowned a warning, and Hezia flinched. "I'm not here to make trouble," she said hurriedly, then took a deep breath. "What we did to you, before – we were wrong, Aji. Terribly wrong. And I just – I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything now, I just wanted you to know."  
  
Aji studied her for a while. "All right," she said after a pause.  
  
"Are you finished?" Taia asked the woman, her voice frosty.  
  
"I won't bother you again," Hezia said sadly. "I hope you believe me, even if you can't forgive me." She began to walk away.  
  
Aji stopped her. "Hezia, wait." The exotic woman turned in surprise. "What I meant – it's all right. You only did what others wanted to do. What I wanted to do myself. The circumstances were damning, the situation frightening. I don't blame you."  
  
Hezia nodded, looking uncertainly at Taia, who scowled. "She's more generous than you deserve. I do blame you, you and those fools Bubo and Beni. You would do well to stay away from Aji. And from me." The other woman nodded, her shoulders slumped as she left the canteen.  
  
Aji turned to her friend. "That was harsh."  
  
"So was practically beating the life out of you when it was your father who betrayed us."  
  
Trini, Tanya, and Kat's heads were swiveling back and forth, their eyes wide as they tried to follow the conversation.  
  
Aji shook her head. "It wasn't that bad."  
  
"Huh." Taia folded her arms. "You didn't see yourself."  
  
Aji sat down again, a frown drawing her russet brows together. "And when you saw what had happened to Iannos, and came after me, what exactly were you planning? Do you remember?" Taia was silent, a mulish expression on her face. "Can't you forgive Hezia for doing exactly what you yourself wanted to do?"  
  
Tanya raised a hand. "Hold up a sec. What happened here?"  
  
Trini narrowed her eyes. "I can make a pretty good guess. That woman and a couple of her friends decided to make you the scapegoat when your father ran to So'Vran, is that right?" Aji nodded shortly. "I'm glad she apologized, then. Saves me the trouble of hunting her down and beating the crap out of her."  
  
Taia chuckled. "Deorth already did that, to all three of them."  
  
"I knew there was a reason I liked that boy. You have my permission to jump his bones, Tri." Tanya burst out laughing at the look on Trini's bright red face.  
  
Kat shook her head with a grin. "So you have been thinking about it. You're not as inscrutable as you think."  
  
"Right. Ignoring you." Trini turned her back on her friends to the sound of chortled merriment. "So this mission from Iannos?"  
  
A slim, pretty, blonde girl came rushing to the table, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, Aji."  
  
Aji chuckled at the Rangers' startled looks and pushed out a seat for the girl, who flopped into it gratefully. "Late as usual, Kee. Ladies, this is Keely Todith."  
  
Keely smiled, showing a pair of deep dimples. Taia leaned forward to explain. "P'tyr mentioned to Father that you sing quite beautifully, Tanya. He wanted you to meet Keely, who is also a singer of merit."  
  
Tanya looked embarrassed and pleased. "Hi. Nice to meet you, Keely."  
  
Keely, for her part looked equally pleased. "Your voice is quite melodic and modulated. Lovely. Will you walk with me for a little? There are things I would like to discuss with you."  
  
Tanya was slightly bewildered but not reluctant. "Um, sure, if the rest of you don't mind…" Nobody did, so the two walked off, Keely talking animatedly as Tanya listened, a smile growing on her lovely face.  
  
***************  
  
"I still don't like it, Father," Jason said, his dark eyes stony. "You need the protection that Paladin can give. Without it you wouldn't have survived that disruptor blast."  
  
Iannos inclined his head. "But I shall not be the one in the line of fire, my son. You need the full power of Paladin at your command if we are to defeat So'Vran once and for all. With the addition of Light and Shadow and the help of your friends the Rangers, we are closer to getting out from under the fist of tyranny than we have been in a thousand years. It is time for me to let go, and for you to embrace everything you are." Dark eyes met the same, and they looked at each other for a long time. "I have missed so much of you, Jason," Iannos said quietly. "P'Tyr did his best to show you to me through the years, but… even now it is hard for me to really believe you are here, standing in front of me. I do not have the right to claim authority over you as a father, but… will you trust that this is the best thing for us to do? From one warrior to another?"  
  
Jason nodded finally. "All right. I do trust you."  
  
With that Iannos took his son's face between his hands, as he had done before, and closed his eyes, pushing the power of Paladin into this new vessel, until there was no more left to push. "It is done," he said. "You are now Xerya's only Paladin. Carry the power well, my son."  
  
*************  
  
Aji nodded to Medja as she came towards the table. "Time for me to go. I'll see you later," and she pushed out her chair and linked her arm through the older woman's, leaving the canteen.  
  
Trini played with the remains of the hoarfruit pie on her plate. "I'd like to talk to you, Taia, if you have a minute," she said quietly.  
  
Kat smiled and got up to go as well. "I think I'll go grab a shower and leave you to it." With that she left.  
  
"What may I do for you, Trini?" Taia folded her hands and waited.  
  
Trini sighed. "This is the last question I thought I would need to ask, but…" She sighed again.  
  
The dark-haired Guardian chuckled, looking so much like Jason that Trini felt herself relaxing. "Stop trying to blow me away and ask, Trini. I won't bite. Or laugh."  
  
"All right." Trini paused, trying to frame her words, then gave up with an irritated shrug. "How do you know if you're doing that Bloodsong thing?"  
  
"Oh…" Clearly surprised, Taia studied the other woman. "Oh!" She thought about it. "This is not something I can really address for you adequately, Trini. If you were Xeryan, you would simply know. I suppose in your case the easiest way would be to find out if Deorth Sings for you. I don't think he would do so if you were not meant for each other." Taia thought further. "Though that might prove somewhat trying to do without embarrassing yourself."  
  
Trini blushed brightly. "It's not the sort of thing I can just ask him, is it? I mean what if I'm wrong?"  
  
"Exactly." Taia thought some more. "What would you do if he were human?"  
  
She shrugged. "Spend some time together, see how we get along, if we're really as attracted as it seems."  
  
Taia grinned, again reminding the Red Zeo Ranger of Jason. "Isn't that what you and he are doing tonight, at the celebration?"  
  
"Why, I – " Trini was taken aback. She'd nearly missed it. "Yes, I guess we are."  
  
"Then I think you may have your answer."  
  
***************  
  
Rocky entered his quarters just as Kat was coming out of the shower, the towel that was wrapped around her body barely meeting in front. He whistled in masculine appreciation, his dark brows rising. "Very nice."  
  
She looked up with a smile. "Hey, hi. I just had to rinse off. I was so bloody hot."  
  
He came up behind his love, moving aside her curtain of buttery hair to kiss her neck. "I'll second that; you're very hot. You're beautiful."  
  
"I'm glad you think so."  
  
"Kat, I'd have to be a dead man not to think so." He turned her around to face him, pulling the towel free and dropping it to the floor. "I still can't figure out what an angel like you sees in a mug like me. But I'm damn thankful you do."  
  
She gave him a mischievous grin, sliding her palms up over his chest and around his shoulders, nestling her fingers into the dark hair at the back of his head. "I only love you for your body."  
  
His dark eyes lit. "Oh, really?"  
  
Kat reached up to touch her lips softly to his. "Really."  
  
Rocky pulled her close, nuzzling the elegant length of her neck. "Prove it."  
  
So she did. 


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Oh, you know.  
  
Thanks to all of you for hanging in. Special thanks goes to TK Styles, who saved my bacon by supplying plausible words to ethrull call to arms. Thanks also to Carrie and Loog for beta'ing and for providing me with girl power inspiration. To Rach for putting up with me and helping me make sense, more or less. If it doesn't, it's 'cause I don't listen to her when I should. To ScarletDeva, just 'cause she's a smoochy. And to Dagmar, for not killing me yet. Go read their stuff too.  
  
Okay, this is fantastically long, at least by my standards, but I didn't want to break it up.  
  
Legacy, part 28  
  
A makeshift arena had been carved out of the yellow sand of the Xeryan desert immediately outside the docking bay. Raised banks of benches curved around a rough oval shape; long poles held aloft a huge length of lightweight fabric, tentlike, softening the unforgiving glare of the afternoon sun. At each end was a dais that loomed above the rows of benches, similarly shielded from the sun by white curtains.  
  
Adam jogged along the side of the arena, his dark eyes scanning the crowd for his wife. A white flutter from the end of the arena caught his attention, and he squinted for a better look, smiling as he recognized some familiar faces. He ran lightly to the bottom of the structure. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Adam called up to the dais where his friends sat. "Hey!"  
  
Jason leaned forward to look over the edge at him, eyebrows raised. "What's up?"  
  
"Anybody seen Tanya?"  
  
Kat's blond head appeared next to Jason's. "Last we saw she was chatting with a girl named Keely."  
  
Taia leaned over next, laughing, her ebony braid spilling over the white- curtained side of the dais. "She'll be along, Adam, don't worry. Please, come up before we all fall out!"  
  
He joined them gladly, shaking hands with the guys, hugging the girls. "Hi, everyone. Or, not quite everyone. Where are Rocky and Zack? And Tom, and Aji?"  
  
They looked at each other, shrugging. "Tommy said he had something to check out before the celebration," Kim volunteered. "He ought to be along any minute, though. I know he wouldn't want to miss this."  
  
"As for Aji, she is helping Medja. You'll see her before too much longer," Taia added with a grin.  
  
Kat was looking out over the arena. "There's Rocky," she said suddenly, pointing to the far end. "And Zack." A group was gathering under the opposite dais, each carrying cylindrical objects of varying sizes.  
  
"Drums," said Trini abruptly. "That's what they are, drums." They watched with interest as more Xeryans joined the group and began setting up what were clearly musical instruments. Rocky pulled out a pair of long sticks from the side of the drum he'd been carrying and began twirling them in his fingers as he chatted with some of the others, sparing a wave for Kat, who waved back with a warm smile.  
  
"Looks like Rocky's flashing back to high school, when we had that garage band for a while," said Adam with a chuckle.  
  
Jason nodded, laughing. "I think everybody must go through that. We did, for about ten seconds, but Zack was the only one who could play anything."  
  
Kim smacked him. "Hey!"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "The only one who could play anything who also wanted to be in the band. You were at the mall." She chuckled and stuck out her tongue.  
  
Billy leaned forward. "Here comes Dad."  
  
Moments later Peter joined them on the dais, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "I am so looking forward to this. I haven't been to one of these in over twenty years." He patted Taia on the shoulder. "Iannos asked me to tell you that he would be a little late, and that we should begin the ethrull desyerti without him."  
  
Taia looked at him doubtfully. "He did?"  
  
Jason looked from one to the other. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No," his sister said slowly. "I suppose not." She glanced back at Peter. "You begin it, then. Sestur will signal us when he is ready."  
  
He grinned hugely. "Me? Really?" At her nod, he stepped forward. "All right, I will." He leaned forward, his hands clasped around the railing of the dais, his blue eyes locked on a tallish, heavyset man at the far end of the arena.  
  
Billy looped his arm around his love's slim waist. "Tell them what you were telling me about the ethrull desyerti and what it's all about."  
  
Taia nodded as the others looked toward her expectantly. "Since the first of us defied So'Vran, so many centuries ago, we have tried to gather before each battle, to remember what it is that we fight for, to remember those we have loved who have died in that fight, to celebrate those who will fall."  
  
Trini nodded. "That's what you said in the canteen. So what's involved, exactly?"  
  
Tai smiled. "This first ceremony recalls the skills of the warriors of old, those who first opposed So'Vran's cruel tyranny. Most Xeryans train in the ethrull desyerti to some degree, though there are only a notable few who gain mastery of it." She nodded toward the sandy arena floor. "It begins with the call to battle, a great honor for those who are chosen to cry the warriors to arms. Then come the masked warriors, clad as of old, each demonstrating his or her skill with the traditional weapons of the ethrull. They will drop out, class by class, until only the most skilled are left, and then comes melee." Her dark eyes lit up. "It's most thrilling to watch. Xeryan tradition is that to kill anonymously is the act of a coward; therefore the final warriors remove their masks and fight each other until a single combatant remains, and he or she rules the rest of the celebration, with everyone subject to his whim."  
  
"Wait, there's a fight to the death?" Adam was horrified; Taia laughed.  
  
"No, of course not. Who would be left to fight So'Vran? It is merely symbolic."  
  
Kim grinned widely. "Cool, it's like Roman gladiators or something."  
  
Peter looked back at them excitedly. "There's the signal. Are we ready?"  
  
Adam scanned the arena a final time anxiously: no Tanya. He looked at Kim, who was doing much the same thing with a similar result, and shrugged. She sighed, shrugging back. "I guess so," he said finally. "They'll be sorry they missed it, though." For some reason Taia giggled, but Adam's attention was diverted as Peter raised his hand aloft, and then swung it down to the sound of a gong echoing across the arena.  
  
The drums began.  
  
The beat was loud, mesmerizing, hypnotic, crawling under Adam's skin. He could see Rocky waiting, getting the beat, his head nodding as he took the measure of the rhythm, and then he and Zack joined in, grinning and laughing like maniacs as they stood behind the large drums. It was almost a Latin-style beat, Adam mused, trying to pin it down. Or African, maybe. Either way it had that world music flavor to it. He tapped his slim fingers on the rail of the dais, enjoying the sound as the bank of drums played point and counterpoint in a complex, melodic structure. Looking around he was tickled to see that his friends were similarly affected as they variously nodded, tapped feet or swayed back and forth in time to the exotic rhythm. Even serious Billy was grooving slightly. Adam chuckled to himself.  
  
Taia nudged him, and pointed into the arena, where two feminine figures had entered hand in hand.  
  
They wore loose, flowing white pants that were split up the sides nearly to the waist; the top was not much more than a strategically wrapped strip of fabric that crossed in front, leaving the back almost completely bare. One of the women was pale, blonde; but Adam needed neither Kat's shriek of recognition nor Rocky's shouted "Yeah baby!" to see that the other was his Tanya, her smile wide, her face aglow. He whistled and cheered, stomping his feet for all he was worth, and he wasn't the only one. The dais rocked under the Rangers' enthusiasm. Tanya glanced up, opened her smiling mouth, and she and Keely began the cry to arms.  
  
Not words, just melody, haunting harmony, their voices rich and full, twining about each other and reaching for each listener. Then the Xeryans around them answered, Taia and Peter included, chanting low in a minor key that chilled and exhilarated. Taia was leaning forward, her fist in the air, pumping to the rhythm; Peter was moving to the beat as well, clapping in time as the chant grew. In the crowd, people climbed onto the rear benches, craning their necks over the excited throng. Children were lifted high onto shoulders for a better view. Hands waved in the air as the atmosphere became saturated in anticipation. The singers took up the canticle and their voices soared over the low chant of the crowd, and Adam could feel the small hairs on the back of his neck start to rise. It was thrilling, and exciting, and somehow deeply moving. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to vault over the side of the dais and do something fantastically passionate (and usually private) to Tanya, or go rip something's heart out in her honor. He felt his cheeks start to burn at the surprising thought; Adam glanced quickly at his friends to see if they'd noticed his blush, but they were riveted on the scene below.  
  
With a wave the singers ran from the arena, reappearing moments later on the dais opposite the Rangers; Tanya blew her husband a kiss, and Adam waved excitedly. The song began anew as the ethrull warriors marched into the arena, their bare feet hitting the sand in perfect time to the sinuous drumbeat.  
  
You really couldn't tell them apart, aside from gender, Adam realized. He'd expected to recognize one or two, but no. Sure, there were minor differences in height, or girth, or skin color. The male warriors were bare- chested for the most part, and wore pants of leather or something like it, which were snugly laced up the sides of their legs. On their forearms they wore braces of a similar material. The females wore the same, with the addition of a strip of the leatherlike material looped around their necks, crossed over their bosom and around the back, and tied at the waist, similar to Tanya's current garb. But what so completely obscured their individuality were the masks they wore. Snug to the head and all- enveloping, with mere slits for eyes and mouth, they obliterated all clues to hair color, eye color, face shape, anything. The effect was disconcerting, especially as they began the ritual of the ethrull.  
  
The eerie sound of strings, played low and haunting, joined the stately beat of the drums as the dance began. And it was a dance, mused Adam as he watched. Each warrior moved with precision, every move identical, down to the flick of a wrist or the arch of a foot. Like a kata, you could discern defensive move from offensive, one after the other, but so fluid and graceful that it was one with the music. Like yoga, a bit, he thought, or tai chi; then he completely gave up trying to pigeonhole what he saw in terms he was familiar with. The ethrull desyerti wasn't exactly like anything he'd ever seen.  
  
The beat shifted, gathering momentum, and some of the warriors left the floor, pulling their masks free as they left the arena. Adam was jolted a bit to see that some of them were no more than teenagers, if that, laughing and greeting their friends, joining in the Xeryan chant that grew as the ethrull picked up pace. The moves grew more complicated. More warriors dropped out, joining the chanting throng. The atmosphere became electric, a sense of tension in the air as the ethrull desyerti thinned to the ranks of the finest, and then there were only five, spread across the arena, the movement of their anonymous bodies precise, spare, surgical, elegant. Figures ran briefly to the sides of the arena, planting weapons within reach: a sword here, a javelin-like staff there. A pair of curved blades. Something like a trident. A pair of long-handled clubs, each tipped with a deadly looking heavy ball.  
  
The warriors broke the dance, each taking a place beside a weapon.  
  
"It is melee," whispered Taia to the riveted Rangers.  
  
Adam glanced from one to the next. "How do they choose their weapon?"  
  
Taia smiled. "The best ethrull must be equally proficient in all forms of ancient combat. They will begin with hand-to-hand in any case. Whom do you favor?"  
  
Adam looked them over again. Two were women, one small and lithe, one taller, more muscular. Two of the men were slim yet well built, wide shouldered and slim waisted. The last man was big, brawny, his chest broad, his arms heavily roped with muscles, his thighs like tree trunks, straining the leatherlike material that encased them. "I don't know. Do I have to choose? How can you stand not knowing who they are?"  
  
She chuckled. "I don't know all of their identities for certain, but I confess I have my favorites. Cheer them all on, if you like."  
  
The hand-to-hand began.  
  
This was nothing like the elegant grace of the ethrull dance. This was combat, pure and simple, and it quickly became clear how it was that the Xeryan rebellion had lasted for a thousand years even against so fearsome an opponent as So'Vran. The ethrull desyerti produced warriors of stunning caliber. For each lightning fast strike came a counterstrike; block, spin, parry low, parry high, leap…  
  
Adam's breath caught in his throat as one of the younger men threw himself into the air, somersaulting over their heads, landing a blow to the bigger man's shoulders from midair before landing and rolling to his feet, fists at the ready. The smaller woman had been watching him; she met him as he came up, grasping his forearms in her hands and sliding to the ground suddenly, pulling him off balance and flipping him neatly, winding him as he landed hard in the sand.  
  
"Nice," said Jason approvingly. Adam nodded, unwilling to look away. He didn't want to miss anything.  
  
The other two men and the taller woman had faced off. She held her ground easily against her two opponents, blocking a pair of blows and snapping her fists forward and one leg to the side to temporarily put them in the sand. The bigger man grasped the younger one and threw him bodily at the woman; she dodged and grabbed him by an arm and a leg as he went by, spinning them both around and throwing him back at the man on the ground. He caught the unwitting weapon, his huge chest heaving in what looked suspiciously like laughter. Taia chuckled, confirming to Adam that the ethrull elite were just playing.  
  
Tanya and her partner began to sing again, and this time Adam could pick out words. "… Darkness surrounds us yet we will press on… the fate of all we love is in our hands… let darkness beware… the only fate we shall accept is Victory!" At this last the beat went wild. The ethrull answered with a yell, jerking their masks from their heads and running flat out for their weapons.  
  
The first to pull her mask free was flame haired Aji, sparing a quick glance, a grin, and a two-fingered wave for astounded Jason, who now had a white-knuckled death grip on the dais railing. Next was Deorth, whose gray eyes scanned the dais closely, focusing on a single spot. Adam looked back at his friends to see who the blond soldier was looking for, and got his answer when he saw the blood drain from Trini's otherwise composed face.  
  
The taller woman pulled her mask free, and Adam recognized her as the nice lady who made the food in the canteen; Medja, he thought her name was. He made a mental note along the lines of judging by appearances, and watched in fascination as the brawny man tugged his mask off, causing Jason to have a second coronary and Taia to nearly tumble out of the booth, only narrowly caught by Billy. It was Iannos, grinning ear to ear, red-faced and looking a little surprised as well. Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "He'll be eaten alive out there," the scientist murmured. "He hasn't done this in decades, not since he took on Paladin. It's impressive he got this far, though."  
  
The last ethrull to reveal himself brought the Rangers to their feet as one, for there was the missing Tommy, laughing aloud at their expressions. "Where did he learn to do this? And when?" Kim asked nobody in particular, though it was Adam himself who answered her.  
  
"Probably from Aji," he said. "She's said they share emotions, maybe they share knowledge, too."  
  
"That would make sense," agreed Taia. "Aji is very skilled. You'll see."  
  
And yet it was Aji, handling the twin curved blades, who went out first, as Deorth slipped below her defenses with a blow from his staff, sending her reeling back and down. She rolled back to her feet, but he had the advantage and held to it doggedly, forcing her back. She pushed back, but it wasn't enough. Deorth deflected her attack easily, her blades ringing as they bounced off his staff. He spun and went low, sweeping her feet out, planting the staff deep into the sand and using the leverage to double-kick her arms wide, disarming her, and with a grin, she conceded. He pulled her to her feet and planted a kiss on her cheek before turning back to the fray.  
  
Iannos was next to go, as Medja caught his sword in between her long- handled clubs and tore it from his grasp with a fierce twist. She spun the clubs, never quite connecting with his rapidly retreating torso, but made it clear that she could take him easily if she wanted to. Iannos held up both hands in rueful defeat, earning an approving nod from his foe.  
  
Tommy too was outmatched, though he held his own for a while in a breathtaking mix of Xeryan ethrull tactics and his own extensive martial arts skills. However, it soon became clear that, dazzling though it was, Tommy was merely dodging his opponents' attacks rather than initiating any of his own with the odd-looking trident. It also became clear that he was tiring, and he willingly conceded when given the chance, to tumultuous applause and a respectful bow from Medja.  
  
"She is quite impressed with Tommy, and that means a lot," Taia filled the others in. "Medja is an ethrull master; she rarely competes, and has never lost. But Deorth has studied at his mother's side since he was a tiny child. This last combat should be interesting."  
  
The drums, the song, the chant, everything stopped but the soft breeze that moved the white sides of the tent. Medja smiled at her son and cast aside the heavy clubs, crossing to pick up the sword that Iannos had dropped. Deorth tossed the javelin away and it landed with a soft chunk in the sand as he picked up the twin blades he'd taken from Aji. Medja held the sword aloft, then over her head, pointed at her adversary, her free hand outstretched toward him, her body in a crouch. Deorth rotated his wrists, swinging first one blade and then the other in a tight circle. As the blades came en garde, just slightly crossed and in front of him, his body tensed in preparation. Medja spoke into the silence.  
  
"You are my son." She inclined her head, her expression affectionate. Then she bared her teeth. "But I will give no quarter."  
  
Deorth laughed, a cocky grin spreading on his handsome face. "I ask for none." With that, he lunged forward. He slashed down with the left blade, letting his momentum take him into a potentially lethal spin to then lash out with his right blade, driving a surprised Medja back a step.  
  
Adam heard a low whistle from behind him, and glanced around. Kat was fanning her face, shaking her head with a rueful smile. Trini had a hand over her throat as though she was having trouble swallowing, and Kim had a broad cat-that-ate-the-canary grin on her face. "What?" he asked involuntarily, curious against his will.  
  
"Wow, is he HOT!" said Kim gleefully. "That was – woo hoo! Anybody got some cold water?"  
  
"I knew I didn't want to know," muttered Adam to himself, returning to the combat.  
  
The moment when Medja realized she had no need to hold back was probably the high point of the fight, Adam thought later. Initially, she stayed defensive, allowing Deorth to manipulate her position with ease while she assessed his strengths and weaknesses. And then, like a volcano erupting, Medja burst forth with a yell. The muscles of her back bunched and slid powerfully as she swung the heavy sword in a low arc. Deorth leapt up and back, twisting his body heels over head to land facing her, laughing again. He spun his blades around him, a silver blur, and Adam realized that the son held as many surprises as his mother.  
  
Deorth went high, scissoring the blades; Medja rolled to the ground neatly, bowling her son's feet from under him. She was up first and on the attack, her heavy blade forcing him back as she swung and swung again, her gritted teeth white against her sand-dirtied face. Deorth's good-natured grin had given way to a frown of concentration as Medja pressed forward, blond braid swinging snakelike behind her, the rhythmic clang of metal on metal hypnotically intense.  
  
Adam found himself smashed against the dais railing as Trini pressed forward, her dark eyes intent, her knuckles against her teeth. She gripped the rail with her free hand, nudging Adam aside. "No," she whispered. "Don't concede."  
  
On the arena floor Deorth jerked his head toward the dais in surprise, but his attention was quickly brought back to the situation at hand as Medja's sword hit the sand where he'd been standing a second ago. Adam's attention, on the other hand, was evenly divided now, ping-ponging between the fray below and the generally-reserved Red Zeo Ranger, who was biting her lip as she focused on the scene below.  
  
"Wait, find her rhythm… be patient," she whispered. Adam glanced down at the arena.  
  
Deorth stepped back, and again, and his mother's blade swung nearer, a deadly pendulum. He parried, and parried again, blocked, and blocked again; leapt, and rolled, parried, and blocked, and…  
  
"NOW!" Trini's whisper was harsh, urgent.  
  
On the floor Deorth came alive, one powerful blow blocking Medja's swing while he suddenly twisted his body into the frame of her defense, body- checking her hard to the ground. A seasoned warrior, Medja rolled over and was on her feet in seconds, but Deorth was on the move. She swung to block him, but too wide, and his foot came out in a stunning kick that knocked the weapon from her hand in a glittering arc through the air. Medja did an instinctive back flip but again her son was ahead of her, his lithe form soaring past her to meet her as she landed, his blades crossed at her throat. She froze.  
  
And conceded.  
  
The blades dropped to the ground as Deorth grasped his mother in a bear hug, planting a resounding kiss on her laughing face. The Xeryan crowd erupted, the drums wild. Rocky and Zack were dancing around like maniacs behind their instruments. The dais shook as eight pairs of feet vied to be the first to the ground, Trini winning by a narrow margin.  
  
Adam ran eagerly past her onto the floor of the arena, now crowded with well-wishers, his dark eyes on the alert for a flutter of white or the burnished sheen of chocolate skin; and there was Tanya running toward him, her arms outflung. He grasped her around the waist and lifted her high. "God, honey, you were great! That was abso-frickin-lutely fantastic! Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
She slid to the ground along the length of his body, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Wanted to surprise you," and she kissed him, hard and long. He thrust his fingers into her braids, holding her still for better kiss-access.  
  
"I was surprised as hell," he admitted after he'd surfaced for air.  
  
"Lord," Tanya panted, "was that not intense?"  
  
"Unbelievable," he agreed. "More so where I was. Did you know Trini has a thing for Deorth?" In answer his wife began to laugh. "What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. You men are so cute about this stuff. Come on, let's go find the others."  
  
************  
  
"Nice outfit, warrior boy," said a voice behind Tommy, who was heading for the dais. He whirled in time to be tackled by a tiny dynamo. "I can't believe you didn't say anything!" Kim alternately kissed and punched him.  
  
He caught her fists and hauled them around his waist, pulling her close. "Hey, they told me it was supposed to be anonymous," he said, laughing.  
  
She leaned her head against his chest. "That was incredible, Tom. What a thrill!"  
  
He began to sing the old Michael Jackson song, gleefully off-key. "'Cause this is Thriller, Thriller night, girl I can thrill you more than – oof!" Which was how he found himself on his butt yet again, but this time much more comfortably, as his Kim was on top of him.  
  
**************  
  
Aji found herself hugged from behind, and she twisted in his grasp to face her lifebound. "Hi," she said, suddenly a little shy.  
  
"Hi yourself," Jason rumbled. "Why didn't I know that was you?"  
  
Aji blushed. "Didn't want you to. I wanted you to see me, the way I've been. Before you," she clarified.  
  
Jason smiled. "I can't wait to show you Earth, either." Aji sighed in relief, knowing he understood. He bent his head to hers, stopping millimeters from her mouth. "By the way…"  
  
"Mmm?" Aji frowned slightly. Why wasn't he kissing her?  
  
Jason ran his hands over her exposed back. "I like the outfit. Remind me to get in a fight with you sometime if this is what you wear." His kiss swallowed the sound of her laughter.  
  
***************  
  
Kat ran to Rocky, throwing her arms around him. "I am so proud you were a part of all this!" she cried, hugging him close. Zack squealed like a cheerleader and hugged them both, hard, until all three started to laugh.  
  
"What are you doing, you weirdo?" Rocky yelled, chortling.  
  
"Just sharing the wealth, bro," Zack hollered back with a grin. "She's beautiful enough to go around!"  
  
"Sorry, dude. Cookies, pizza, even beer I'll share with you. Kat is all mine," returned the Blue Zeo Ranger. "Find your own babe to manhandle."  
  
Kat kissed Zack on the cheek. "Sorry, Zack. Taken."  
  
The handsome former Black Ranger made a show of chagrin, his brown eyes twinkling all the while. "Well, geez, if that's the way you feel, I'll go see what Trini's doing."  
  
Kat giggled. "You may be in for another disappointment, Z."  
  
"Hm." He fingered his chin. "In that case I'll just tie up Adam and squire me some Tanya around this shindig. He's still smaller than me, and I'm sure she'd be grateful for the change."  
  
Rocky rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Goofball."  
  
*************  
  
Peter clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "Impressive, Iannos. It's been a while for you."  
  
The former Paladin's teeth gleamed against his dark beard. "I am merely glad to still be standing. But it was fun. You should have been out there with me, P'Tyr. I seem to recall a youthful champion of the ethrull named Krann."  
  
Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "No, thank you. That was a very long time ago. I'm still sore from facing off against that grat'lest, and I'm afraid the rigors of the ethrull are quite beyond me now. But as exercise it's a lot more wholesome than your idea of courtship, back when you and Merys were first bound."  
  
Iannos threw back his head with a shout of laughter. "Nonsense. Grat'lest baiting is a perfectly good way to spend an evening. Properly executed, you get an adrenaline rush and the girl ends up in your arms. Who could find fault with that?"  
  
*************  
  
Trini halted at the edge of the arena. What was she doing? Cool-eyed blondes weren't even her type, usually. How had her wayward heart managed to stray so far from her level head?  
  
She sought him out, she couldn't help it, her dark eyes focused on that single goal without further input from her brain. His gray gaze was trained on her, just as single-mindedly, and she shivered at the heat she could feel even across the breadth of the tent.  
  
A gentle hand fell on her shoulder, and she leapt out of her skin with a squeak. "H – hey, Jason, Aji," she said, her voice wobbly. "Didn't see you there."  
  
"Everything okay, T? You seem a bit out of it," came Jason's deep voice, but her attention was already trained back on the lithe blond figure surrounded by the crowd.  
  
"I'm… fine." Trini spoke absently.  
  
By Jason's side, Aji chuckled. "Contrary to the way things have been going around here lately, Bloodsongs are generally rare and precious things."  
  
"But how can I be certain it's not just some big swell of lust?" All of them, even Trini, laughed at the question, though she was fully in earnest.  
  
"Do you get those a lot?" Aji's green eyes sparked with amusement. "The difference is, Trini, that lust can diminish you. Love will nurture you, but you will essentially be the same person you were when you began. But in the Song, each of you is made more than what you were before. If you are more than what you were on Earth, if Deorth is more than he was before you came, then it is the Song. And I suggest you decide what you wish to do about it, for Deorth is now ethrull champion, and we are all bound by his whim. Including you."  
  
As though he'd heard her, Deorth held up his hand for silence, and the crowd obliged him after a moment.  
  
"Your first directive, my son?" Medja's voice was clear and carried on the slight breeze.  
  
He smiled, his own voice ringing out. "That we celebrate who and what we are. That we love each other without reservation or tightly-held grudge. That we have some fun until the moons are high in the sky." Deorth looked about, his focus returning to the side of the arena. "That you come here." The last directive, and a beckoning forefinger, was leveled at Trini, and her chin went up a defiant notch.  
  
Come here, indeed.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you not obey the ethrull champion?"  
  
"I'm no pet." Trini folded her arms. With a broad smile Deorth came to her, until he was face-to-face with her, looking down into her eyes. Sand clung to his bare chest and streaked along one chiseled cheek. His leather pants clung damply to him, the bracers strapped to his forearms served to highlight the muscles of his upper arms. Trini took an involuntary step back, frowning when she realized what she'd done. Deorth seemed to know what she was thinking, because he chuckled.  
  
"I would have lost, you know." He spoke low, so that only she could hear.  
  
"You – what?"  
  
"I would have lost, was giving way, until I heard you. In here," he tapped his head, "and here," his heart. "You gave me your strength, and your wisdom, and my blood began to Sing for you. For you, Trini of Earth." His gray eyes went charcoal. "Do you hear my Song?"  
  
Her throat was dry and thick, but she managed a croak. "I hear."  
  
His voice was just a whisper now. "Do you Sing, Trini?"  
  
"I – I – " She couldn't look away, but oh, she wanted to, to hide, to run, to disappear. To throw herself at him with abandon. "I don't know how."  
  
He opened his arms. "Will you let me show you?"  
  
Trini looked about her suddenly, needing to find an even keel, instead finding understanding from those she loved best, hovering around them in a protective shell: Kat, biting her fingernails; Tanya, her smile broad and kind. Jason, watching her in sympathy, his dark gaze affectionate. Billy, concern reflected deep in those bright eyes. Tommy was smiling gently, his arm around the irrepressible Kim, who was standing goggle-eyed behind Deorth, nodding encouragement as though her head had come loose from its moorings. Adam was wide-eyed and waiting, Zack looking on with benevolent interest. Rocky gave her a thumbs up.  
  
Finally she was able to look at Deorth again, studying his handsome, anxious face. And then Trini smiled. "Show me."  
  
With a sigh he took her gently into his arms, then glanced around at their avid audience. "You'll excuse us, won't you?" Deorth asked, his voice laced with humor. Immediately there was an embarrassed shuffle as they all looked pointedly away, and finally, FINALLY, he lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her. 


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be nicer to them than this.  
  
Thanks to all of you for hanging in, though the delay this time was not so much my fault. Many thanks to Rach and Carrie for all the feedback - I am not worthy. And to Post cereal, for the Alpha Bits.  
  
Legacy, part 29  
  
"Okay, everyone out of the pool." Zack spoke quietly, even knowing that his voice couldn't be heard outside the Xeryan helmet he wore. He brought the hoverskid to a gentle stop in midair just below the hole in the mountainside where Kim and Peter had escaped the grat'lest.  
  
The night air was cooling rapidly, the yellow Xeryan moons hung high in the silent sky, lending an air of eerie unreality to the landscape.  
  
"Okay," Kim said through gritted teeth, "I have no idea what we're about to find in there. Just kill anything that moves, would be my best advice."  
  
Adam gave a dry chuckle as he hoisted himself up over the edge of the tunnel's mouth. "Relax, Kim. Peter and Iannos assured us that there's bound to be only one grat'lest in there now, and an immature one to boot. No problem."  
  
"Fine," came the irritable response. "You go first, frogboy." The others snickered as they helped each other climb into the cave, Zack setting coordinates on the hoverskid's control console before following the rest.  
  
"Where are you putting it?" Trini asked as she watched the small craft hum away.  
  
Zack pointed. "Clump of rocks about half a mile back. I got my silent whistle right here, though, in case we want it in a hurry." He showed her a small remote device. "It'll home in on wherever this baby is, and avoid obstacles on the way." He paused, then chuckled. "I have got to get me one of these for back home."  
  
"Are you serious? I have to go first?" Adam was saying to Kim, who was pointing down the tunnel with a no-nonsense gesture. "But you're the one with the -"  
  
"Balls?" the former Pink Ranger injected sweetly. Muffled hilarity ensued.  
  
"I was going to say experience," Adam grumbled.  
  
Kim laughed softly, cuffing him lightly on the arm. "Come on, I was only kidding. Let's go."  
  
***************  
  
Jason glanced over the control console of the runabout, partly to reassure himself he was running close enough to the ground to avoid detection and partly to check the time. He sighed to himself; Kim and the others should be making their way through the tunnel that would take them below So'Vran's palace. Tommy, Aji and a contingent of hoverskids would be heading out of the base now, proceeding south to take their place outside the Citadel wall. The rest of them, including himself, Taia, and Billy, were going to attack from the north, to draw the Citadel guard out and away allowing the two stealth parties to attack from within.  
  
Jason wiped beads of sweat from his upper lip. He'd nearly forgotten what it was like to fight for the survival of a planet: the adrenaline rush, the worry, the abject fear that this would be the one time a sacrifice would be made that could not be countenanced.  
  
Aji. The thought of loss that could not be borne brought her vivid features immediately to mind. He'd thought he'd lost her once, and the fear that he could lose her for real went bone-deep. It was the same for all of them, really. He hadn't missed the expression that had crossed Tommy's face when Kim volunteered to lead the point group under the palace. Never mind that she was an experienced ex-Ranger, never mind that she was the best choice due to her recent ordeal. Jason admitted to himself that in Tommy's shoes he might have protested, just as Tommy had initially done. But Iannos had overruled them all, saying that this was the ultimate push against Sov'ran's power - it was today or never, and it would take all of them, working to the very best of their abilities, to see it happen. Absolute victory or total destruction, with nothing in between.  
  
That thought reminded Jason that he really WAS fighting for the survival of a planet - a people - a way of life. They and the Xeryans were fighting for their future existence. Casualties could not be avoided. The only way to get through this was to ensure that none would die in vain.  
  
The tiny comm receiver behind his ear flared to life.  
  
*****************  
  
The hoverskids were in position, invisible in the shadows outside the Citadel wall.  
  
Don't brood, Tom. It's distracting. Aji softened her thought with a smile as her partner glanced up.  
  
Sorry. Can't help it.   
  
I know.   
  
As if cued by the thought, the small transceiver each wore behind one ear crackled, Kim's voice coming over it. "In primary position," she said quietly. "No sign that we've been detected yet. We'll make the final push into Citadel territory at your signal, Jase."  
  
Jason's deep rumble echoed softly in their ears. "We have troops headed this way. Engaging shortly. Give us some time to dig well in."  
  
Aji nodded, tapping the tiny communication device at the base of her throat. "On your go, Paladin." And I love you.   
  
***************  
  
And there they came, So'Vran's black-clad guard, swarming toward them, on foot, in the air. the warship to Jason's left spat out energy, dispatching the first of what Jason felt sure was an armory of disruptor cannons. A dark warship loomed above them and Jason veered the runabout sharply, tossing his troops about but narrowly avoiding being fried. The rebel warship behind him slid into his place, driving the Citadel ship back with a well-placed shot to the bridge. Smoke obscured the general area; Jason angled the runabout down and to the right, breaking through the inky cover.  
  
The light from the moons was useless now. He called on Paladin, swathing himself in golden power, and looked down at the battlefield below even as he turned over control of the runabout to a Xeryan whose name he didn't remember.  
  
A second, then a third explosion indicated that the rebel warships were still pinpointing and destroying disruptor cannons; Billy's energy-locating technology was proving effective. Jason sent a silent message to his sister as he left the ship and took to the air. Time to go to work.   
  
The specs they had managed to download from their one encounter with a Citadel warship in space were coming in very handy, Jason reflected, shooting a spike of golden energy into the weapons array of another black ship. His golden blade erupted from his hands with a thought and he tore through the hull near the reactor core; a silver flash skidded by as Taia enveloped the core in her particular brand of force field and pulled it free of the shrieking, tilting mass of metal. A mental shove from both siblings pushed the warship on its end as it drove itself into the sand like a giant monument; a wave of rebel troops swarmed forward to clean up survivors.  
  
Two rebel warships followed three Citadel ships, evidently intending to engage them in space. Taia flung the reactor core at the tail of a departing Citadel ship, resulting in a satisfying light show and evening the odds. Another black vessel scudded away, back toward the Citadel itself; Sentinel tore through it with a magnificent burst of bronze energy, and the ship went smoking into the mountains.  
  
Paladin shook his head grimly. Tai, tell Bill to cut that out or he'll go down like a comet.   
  
The battlefield below was awash in bloody melee - a parody of the grace and beauty that had been the ethrull the Xeryans were so skilled at. Yet it was clear that this was where it had all began, the dance of the ethrull desyerti emerging from what was necessary for combat survival. Jason could see, even outside the range of his own spinning sword, the controlled furious flail that was Medja at her fiercest. He caught Deorth out of the corner of his eye, silencing a trooper with a swift blow that crushed the man's windpipe. Economical and exacting, even in battle, Deorth swept across the field.  
  
Jason angled his body toward the ground, at the same time activating his comm. "It's a go," he said, and sent up a prayer.  
  
**************  
  
"Let's do this," said Tommy, and Aji nodded. Their movements became one, synchronized, precise; and the entire contingent faded utterly from view, slipping over the wall to infiltrate the Citadel.  
  
A pair of hoverskids detached from the group, heading east to deal with the population of the Citadel slums. Identical expressions of concentration and effort broke across the faces of Light and Shadow as they fought to keep their comrades from being seen in the moonlit night. The rest of the squadron set down, and the war for control of the Citadel began.  
  
The initial foray into the training fields drew out all the remaining military still stationed in the barracks. But their charge out was hasty and panicked, with little preparation or warning, and they ran straight into the waiting arms of the rebel forces.  
  
It was a slaughter, at least initially.  
  
Then, as troops from other compounds within the Citadel began to trickle in, it seemed as though the tide would turn. But the rebels were determined. Their battle lines would not fail. Although they wavered, the lines held strong.  
  
Tommy caught a glimpse of more than one civilian running to stand with them against the Citadel guard and realized that So'Vran's fist had choked more than just open rebellion. "Liberty or oblivion!" rang through the air, and "Death to So'Vran!"  
  
His shadowhammer swung wide, scattering Citadel guards. Tommy swung again, caving a barracks roof, sending chunks of debris flying into the fray. A pulse of shadow thudded from his open hand like the sound from a concussion gun, downing a row of black-clad combatants. The guards attempted a strategic retreat. Unfortunately, the only way open to them took them into waiting mass of civilians. A grim smile crossing his face, Tommy knew they'd find no welcome there: these were the same civilians the guards had helped to oppress for the last thousand years.  
  
Aji sliced through the Citadel troops with the laserlike precision of a surgeon excising a tumor, and at last their way was clear to the palace. Tommy tapped his comm. "We're in!"  
  
*************  
  
Kim nodded at the others, huddled around the door that led from the palace sewers to the older system. "Okay, they're in. Ready, Adam?"  
  
The Green Zeo Ranger nodded shortly. "As far as I can tell, and with what Peter told me, this ought to bypass the alarm for a bit. If not - "  
  
Trini shrugged. "If not, doesn't change much. You okay, Kat?"  
  
With a shudder, Pink Zeo nodded. "Yeah, better. Spiders give me the creeps, and that thing was disgusting."  
  
Kim chuckled behind her helmet. "You should've seen its mama."  
  
Kat made a rude noise. "No, thanks."  
  
Zack shifted his weapon. "Let's do it to it!"  
  
With a nod, Rocky spun the wheel and shouldered the door open. There was just about time for a breath of relief before the klaxons went off.  
  
"Go go go!" hollered Trini, leaping into the smooth tunnel, the light on her helmet glancing off the silvery walls. "On O2, everybody. He knows we're here - "  
  
Kim thumbed the oxygen circulation valve in her helmet just as the hissing began. She flashed her light toward the wall as they ran past. "Look." A pale yellow gas was seeping rapidly into the tunnel.  
  
"Good guess, Tri," panted Kat, running after her. "How'd you know?"  
  
Trini chuckled, her back to the wall. "It's what I'd do if I wanted to kill us."  
  
Rocky, bringing up the rear, broke in. "Plan your world domination later, ladies. We have company."  
  
Kim spat out a succinct oath. "There's a fork ahead; we'll split up. T, you take Yellow and Green. Head left. Pink, Blue, Zack, you're with me. Be careful, everybody."  
  
Trini gave the others a two fingered wave and beckoned Adam and Tanya forward; they set off at a flat run. Rocky cursed volubly in two languages as weapons fire erupted near his feet, returning the fire before dodging forward.  
  
"Go on, I'll catch up," he gritted through clenched teeth.  
  
Two black-clad figures appeared around the bend behind them; Kat grasped Rocky by the shirtfront and jerked him forward, squeezing off a shot at the wall at the same time. A chunk of the tunnel fell in with a satisfying crash, cutting off the attack. "You don't ditch me that easily, lover. Come on."  
  
The four ran forward, skidding to a stop behind Kim long moments later. She popped her comm link. "T, where are you?"  
  
The sounds of weapons fire in the background set all their teeth on edge. "In the palace proper. We've engaged. You?"  
  
"No idea. Still below, though." Kim scanned the area. "Were they waiting?"  
  
"Yep. Crap, Adam, your four o'clock!" More weapons fire. "Mother-grabbing- son-of-a - is he okay?"  
  
"Oh, you did NOT just shoot my husband, you -!" Tanya's furious voice broke in, accompanied by the sound of a purposeful energy discharge. "Hah. Oppress that, Nazi boy. You okay, baby?" There was a pause. "He's a little scorched. And I prefer my men raw."  
  
"I'm good." This was Adam; the four who were underground breathed sighs of relief.  
  
"Okay," Trini said authoritatively. "Going deeper. Get up here, you guys, we could use the help."  
  
"On our way." Kim paced off the floor.  
  
Zack spoke warily. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Odds are they're waiting for us at every door." Kim looked at each of them in turn, then grinned inside her helmet. "So we make our own." She shouldered her weapon, took aim at the ceiling a distance away, and blasted a hole. A second round from Kat followed hard on the first blast and the hole widened enough for them to climb through easily.  
  
Zack chuckled as he helped Kim over the rubble and up into the hole. "I love a woman who knows how to take control."  
  
"You can call me Mistress Kim." Kim tapped her comm again. "We're in and on the move."  
  
*************  
  
With a last look at the bloody uproar raging below, Jason, Taia, and Billy wheeled in the air and headed for the Citadel to bring the final battle home to So'Vran. 


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be nicer to them than this.  
  
As always, many thanks to Rach and Carrie for all the hard work. To Loog, for her unbridled enthusiasm. And to FL, for unwittingly prodding me along.  
  
Legacy, part 30  
  
The halls of the palace were wide and empty, apart from the occasional troop of Citadel soldiers running past in chaotic disarray. Tommy and Aji made their way past those easily, heading deeper into the maw of the enemy, looking for the very heart of So'Vran's stronghold.  
  
Echoing footsteps alerted them to the approach of yet another troop. Tommy pulled his partner back into invisibility against the wall. She was frowning.  
  
What is it? he asked silently.  
  
Something is different. There's no haste, and only one of them. As if to confirm her assertion a lone figure appeared, his approach deliberate. He wore a cloak, gray in color, with a hood obscuring his face. The man paused, as though listening, waiting.  
  
The color drained from Aji's cheeks as the hooded man turned toward them as though on instinct. She stepped forward abruptly, out of the circle of Tommy's camouflage.  
  
He reached to stop her, but too late. Aji! Aj, what do you think you're -   
  
The expression on her face could only be described as dazed as Aji approached the cloaked figure. The man's hood fell back, revealing a head of wild red hair above a lined and careworn face. He spoke; his voice was gentle, hushed. "I had not thought to see you again, Aji."  
  
She shook her head. "You were looking for me."  
  
He inclined his head. "I was."  
  
"Why?"  
  
The man offered her a small device; Tommy couldn't see it clearly. "To give you this."  
  
Aji seemed to ignore it. "No, I mean why - "  
  
He held up a hand. "I know what you ask, but our time grows short. And you have your answer here." At last she looked down at what he held, and took it from him. "This is why, Aji."  
  
She was clearly bewildered. "But - "  
  
A squad of soldiers erupted from around the corner. Before Tommy had a chance to move the lead Citadel grunt had a point-blank bead on Aji, his thick finger squeezing the trigger. and then the cloaked man grasped her shoulders and spun her behind him, taking the hit in the center of his chest. Before his lifeless body hit the floor both Shadow and Light burst forth, dispatching the squad with deadly force.  
  
Aji went to her knees and gathered the dead man to her, clutching him close, her head bent into the lifeless body's chest as she wept, whispering a single word.  
  
"Father."  
  
*************  
  
Jason's flight checked in midair. "What is it?" Billy called, he and Taia slowing slightly to allow Paladin to catch up.  
  
His expression was grim. "Aji. Something's happened."  
  
"Is she all right?" Taia's voice reflected her worry.  
  
"She's shut down again," Jason shook his head. "Like she was before. I can feel her, but I can't reach her."  
  
They exchanged glances, then in accord streaked toward the Citadel looming in the distance.  
  
*************  
  
The blast as the corridor floor caved in brought troops on the run, but they were clearly unprepared to find Zack and Kim, Rocky and Kat waiting to welcome them with open armaments. After a short siege in the hallway, Kim waved away the smoke from in front of her helmet and tapped the comm. "We're ready to join the party."  
  
"Not a second too soon, if you want my opinion," hissed Trini. "We've got a bit of a situation developing here."  
  
"Rocky, Kat, one of you get a lock on their position. What kind of situation, T?" Kim glanced at Rocky, who nodded and started off at a lope down the corridor, the other three following closely behind.  
  
"Outmanned and outgunned, and I don't think - Tanya, look out! Behind you - " There was a pause, the sounds of a scuffle, some weapons fire.  
  
"ADAM!" Tanya's voice was barely recognizable.  
  
"Tanya, get back!"  
  
"Let me go! ADAM!"  
  
"Dammit, Tanya, no -- !" There was a huge crash, and then the unmistakable radio squeal of a disabled mike.  
  
"TRINI!" shrieked Kim. "Tanya! Adam! ANYBODY!"  
  
"Oh, God," whispered Kat, as Zack cursed volubly.  
  
Rocky redoubled his efforts. "I've still got a lock. They're on the move," he spat out.  
  
**************  
  
Some days just sucked. Trini winced as her helmet was unceremoniously torn from her head; she blinked as she focused very closely on the muzzle of the disruptor that lay gently against her forehead. The Citadel guard who held it indicated with a jerk of his head that she should move. She glanced over at Tanya, a spitting wildcat held by a pair of guards, and at Adam, who lay still, the hole in the center of his chest still smoking slightly.  
  
Her worried gaze narrowed on the Green Zeo Ranger, Trini got to her feet, hands in the air. Tanya tried to bite one of the guards and got cuffed for her trouble. "Tanya!" Trini spoke sharply. "Knock it off. It won't help him, and you have to stay okay." The Yellow Zeo Ranger subsided a bit, tears forming in her dark eyes.  
  
Adam's fingers twitched. Tanya gasped; her husband groaned, drawing in a harsh breath, coughing. A thin trickle of blood traced from the corner of his mouth to the floor. One of the guards gestured at him with his weapon. "Bring him."  
  
**************  
  
Rocky came to a halt at a pile of scorched rubble, staring at a bloodstain that was congealing on the floor. "This is where they were when the transmission cut out," he said shortly, glancing up as the other three came up beside him.  
  
Kat nodded. "They're moving that way," she pointed down the corridor, "but I have to say they're moving a little too slowly and steadily for my taste."  
  
Zack nodded. "Not like they're on the run with someone hurt."  
  
The Pink Zeo Ranger nodded. "Exactly. They'd be faster, more erratic, is my feeling."  
  
"They've been taken," Kim growled.  
  
Rocky folded his arms, turning away from them. "So we get them back," was all he said, but they could hear the strain in his voice.  
  
Kim nodded, hunching her shoulders. "Yeah, we do. The trick is going to be getting them back without getting any of us killed." She rolled her head, trying to relieve the stress that was gathering at the back of her neck, and tapped her comm. "Tom?"  
  
His voice came back clear. "Almost there, Kim."  
  
"We're in a jam."  
  
"Get in line." He sighed gustily. "What flavor's your jam?"  
  
"So'Vran has three hostages."  
  
They all heard the hissed intake of breath. "Not that it matters, but who?"  
  
Kim swallowed, not wanting to say it aloud. "Trini, Adam, Tanya. And Adam's hurt. Maybe worse."  
  
A quiet string of epithets came across the comm. "Right. Listen. Find a place to lay low until we get there. Billy, Jason, and Tai are on their way as well. Do NOT go in after them, you hear me? Three hostages is bad enough." Rocky started to protest, but Tommy cut him off. "I know it's killing you, Rocko, but you have to trust me. We'll be there in time, I swear."  
  
The Blue Zeo Ranger nodded, his shoulders slumping.  
  
Kim paced back a few steps. "Now what are you up to, Superfly?" Zack wanted to know.  
  
"Looking for a place to lay low. My definition, not Tom's."  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
She beckoned them to a branch of a corridor. "Meaning Rangers don't sit on their asses when their teammates are in trouble."  
  
"All right!" said Rocky hoarsely, shouldering past her with Kat on his heels.  
  
Zack genuflected to Kim as he joined her. "Got news for you, baby girl. We aren't Rangers anymore."  
  
She chuckled. "Take that up with Alpha."  
  
They moved stealthily but steadily through the shadowed halls of So'Vran's palace, trying to parallel, as closely as possible, the journey that their friends were being forced to take. None of them were willing to be very far away in case an opportunity for rescue should arise.  
  
Voices filtered to them from beyond a pile of debris; Rocky dodged around it, then came back, beckoning the others. "Come on," he whispered. Around the other side was an easily defendable niche, and from the sound of things, they were just about right on top of So'Vran's control room.  
  
"I must say, Iannos' little surprise came off rather well."  
  
Kim's skin crawled, and she leaned forward for a peek. So'Vran's voice fairly crackled with evil as he approached the three Rangers, who were held immobile by burly, black-clad guards.  
  
"And what is this, some sort of infestation?" He stopped in front of Trini, tilting up her chin to look her in the eyes. Trini shuddered but refused to look away. "Mmm. Eltaran powered brats. Interesting." He crossed to Tanya, looking deep into her eyes as well; then So'Vran chuckled, his gaze dropping to the Yellow Zeo Ranger's midsection. "Inordinately interesting." Finally he moved on to Adam. "Pity this one's broken; he looks as though he might have been amusing. Still. perhaps he can still be of some use to me." Tanya whimpered, catching a dark glance of interest. "Ah. I see. Better still." So'Vran moved back toward her. Trini began to struggle.  
  
"Leave her alone!" The Red Zeo Ranger spat out furiously.  
  
So'Vran looked at her, his head tilted to one side inquiringly. "Now why would I want to do that?" His tone was deceptively benign. "She is with child, is she not? I myself do not have an heir, but perhaps I have been remiss. It occurs to me that I might take this one, raise it myself."  
  
Shock ricocheted through the niche. Kat grasped Kim's arm, hard. "Did you know?"  
  
"Hell, no."  
  
Tanya was pleading, weeping. "No, please."  
  
Trini snapped her head back in a headbutt, dazing the guard who held her and freeing herself. She ran to interpose herself between So'Vran and the terrified Tanya. "Over my dead body," she snarled.  
  
There was a pause. "Acceptable," So'Vran decided, and he grasped Trini around the throat, lifting her high into the air. She struggled, choking, clawing at his hand.  
  
"PUT HER DOWN!" Kim shouted, taking aim with her weapon as she and the others burst forth from their hiding place.  
  
He flung Trini aside and she hit a console hard enough to dent the metal, sliding to the floor like a rag doll, one arm at an impossible angle. "Ah, my little monkey," So'Vran smiled at Kim, stalking toward them. Zack and Kim fired, hitting him dead center.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Kat raced over to where Trini lay, checking her pulse. Rocky shouldered his way in front of Zack and Kim. "Back off, man, I am warning you!"  
  
So'Vran snorted inelegantly. "You? Warn me? You insignificant creature, you warn me of what?"  
  
The air behind him shimmered, revealing five metallic figures. "How's about WE warn you?" boomed Jason's deep voice as Billy and Tommy easily took out the soldiers holding Tanya and Adam. So'Vran whirled, his cloak flying wide; Jason's golden blade leapt from his hands. Billy's energy staff sizzled into being, Tommy summoned his shadowhammer, Aji's fists gleamed too brightly to look at, and Taia was enveloped in a visible warp of power.  
  
"You wanna dance, So'Vran?" Tommy grinned, swinging his hammer slightly.  
  
Billy's chin went up a notch. "Let's dance." 


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be nicer to them than this.

As always, many thanks to Rach and Carrie for all the hard work. To Loog, for her unbridled enthusiasm. And to FL, for unwittingly prodding me along.

Legacy, part 31

Zack pulled Kim back hurriedly toward the niche they'd found, knowing full well that they were the only two without power of any kind to protect them. _No need to add to our liability_, he thought, casting a worried glance at the sorely injured Adam, who had slumped to the floor.

He watched Tommy's lip curl in a fierce frown, then Shadow leapt toward So'Vran, his warhammer a blur. So'Vran inadvertently moved back a step, snarling. He raised a hand, and the hammer passed through him as through so much smoke.

Straight at Rocky.

Zack choked back a cry of warning as Rocky realized the danger and tried to vault out of the way. Aji whirled forward, a blur herself, a wheel of light spinning from her hands and dissipating Tommy's weapon, but too late. Rocky was hit in the midsection and flung wide, hitting the wall with an audible crack.

Zack let out a string of epithets. A stream of Citadel Guards began to pour in from several entrances, weapons fire flying through the air, obscuring his view as Billy catapulted into action, Jason at his side.

Taia ran forward and with outspread hands pulsed the guards away from Tanya and Adam, trying to shield them from the bulk of the fray as Zack beckoned Tanya frantically. Several more guards came toward them in a crouched run; So'Vran started toward them as well.

"Going somewhere, my playthings?" Tendrils of inky black snaked forward from his outstretched fingers, weaving through the air… and were abruptly severed from their source by a crescent of blinding light. Aji leapt to the air, darting to and fro like a maddened firefly, flinging starbursts of power around the malevolent tyrant's head. 

The Yellow Zeo Ranger grasped her husband around the waist and dragged him toward cover; Zack reached for Adam's collar, pulling him safely behind him. Tanya made as if to rejoin the battle. "That would be a big no for you, little mother," Zack cut her off neatly. 

"But – " she began.

Zack shook his head. "Shut up and sit down," he said, simply. Tanya sat.

He was relieved to see that Rocky was getting painfully to his feet, and at a nod from Kim, Zack darted forward to bring his friend out of harm's way. Kat, meanwhile, was struggling with Trini's unconscious form, but too far away for Zack to get to them without causing more trouble than he'd be saving. He ground his teeth, watching them in mounting frustration.

A dark blur sped toward them, enveloping the two in shadow, and suddenly Tommy was depositing a now-semiconscious Trini on the ground next to them, his gaze fixed on a wheezing Rocky.

"Rocko, I—" he began, but the Blue Zeo Ranger shook his head with a pained grin and gave him a thumbs up. Shadow nodded, summoning his warhammer. "Stay safe." And he sped back to the fray.

Zack laid down some cover fire, just because he could, his jaw clenched, his arms tense.

His face drawn down in a mask of irritation, So'Vran raised his hands toward Aji. THOOM! A pair of inky energy spheres erupted from his hands, wrapping tentacles around her, dropping her to the floor, hard. 

"AJI!" Jason shouted, picking up a soldier and throwing him bodily into another. 

She was completely cocooned in seconds, a struggling mass of thick, choking black energy. Zack started forward, but Tommy raced toward his partner and began tearing at the viscous darkness, calling her name. Jason, after a glance assured him that his friend was doing all he could, turned to So'Vran in a blind fury, his golden blade leaping into his hands. "So'Vran!" he shouted, booting away another guard. "You're mine!"

The evil creature gave a malicious chuckle. "So eager to die, are you, boy?"

Jason feinted past another guard and swung his sword downward in a violent arc. Without warning a dark blade, curved and gleaming, erupted from So'Vran's grip to block Paladin's strike.   


Laughing, the dark lord lunged forward in a relentless attack, his sword glowing malevolently as he beat aside Jason's charge with wide stroke after stroke. Teeth gritted, Jason gave ground, then more as So'Vran pressed forward.

Do something, Zack told himself, searching for some way to help. There's gotta be something. Even an elephant's afraid of a mouse… suddenly the swing of So'Vran's cape caught Zack's attention. Closing one eye, he squinted along the barrel of his weapon, concentrating, squeezing the trigger gently…

The hem of the garment erupted in flames. Cursing, So'Vran whipped the cape free, distracting him from his attack on Jason. Zack rolled back against the wall with a laugh. "He may be all-powerful, but he sure as heck ain't flameproof!"

Jason's respite was brief, but it was enough. When So'Vran returned to the attack Jason met him with a solid kick in the center of the dark tyrant's chest, throwing him back several feet. Jason rotated his blade in a circle, panting. "That all you got?"

Zack moved aside to let a powered-down Tommy into the niche, dragging an unconscious Aji. He listened to Tommy slap the redhead's face gently, trying to waken her. "Come on, Aj," he was saying. "Jase needs us. Come on."

There was a hacking sound from behind them, like a trained seal at the circus. "Adam?" he heard Tanya ask querulously, and then she screamed. "ADAM!" Zack jerked his attention around; Adam was coughing up blood.

"Oh, God, no," he said, and Zack himself didn't know if it was an exclamation or a prayer. 

He watched helplessly as Tanya bent over her husband. "Don't you leave us. Don't you dare leave us!"

"Get Billy," croaked Trini, and Zack could have smacked himself. Instead he smacked his comm.

"BILL! HELP!" Across the control chamber Zack could see the bronze figure of Sentinel pause. Then Billy swung his staff wide, catching his opponent across the midsection and tossing him aside. With a grace born of economy he hurtled into the air, somersaulting over the heads of other combatants, landing neatly in front of the niche and sliding under Zack's weapon.

The sound of Billy cursing a blue streak on any other day would have cracked Zack up. Now, however, it scared the living daylights out of him. "Come on, Adam, stay with me," Sentinel muttered, energy pouring from his hands into Adam's prone form.

"I am not raising this baby alone, Adam," Tanya whispered, smoothing back his hair. Billy paused as he absorbed this tidbit, his jaw clenching tightly. Adam coughed again, but this time no blood. Zack sat back on his heels and sighed with relief, turning his attention back to the floor of the control room in time to take out a small group of Citadel guards who were creeping toward them.

Billy leaned over Trini, his hands at her head. "You knew about this pregnancy, didn't you?"

"Yes." Her voice was a little stronger. "It was her choice to come, Bill. She's a person, not an incubator." A muffled snort indicated what Billy thought of this logic as he moved on to Rocky.

"I'm okay," Blue Zeo wheezed.

"That's convincing," Billy said dryly. "Lie still, please."

"You need to get back out there," Rocky protested, wincing as Sentinel probed his ribcage. "Face it, Billy, we're getting our asses handed to us." He wheezed dryly. "Ow. Too bad there's no way for you guys to combine your powers, like we used to combine the zords."

Billy froze.

"So," snarled So'Vran, snapping Zack's attention back to the fight. The dark lord and Jason were circling each other. "You are Iannos' missing whelp. A sad comedown for Xerya if her fate rests with you, an untried Paladin." Swords clashed. "Did your sister tell you, boy what happens to those who displease me? Did your father?" He chuckled. "Iannos sent you from me because he knew you were weak. Do you know what it is I do to the weak who defy me?" He lunged forward again. Jason barely caught the dark blade with his own, and they struggled, their faces inches apart. "I devour them," So'Vran growled harshly, suddenly giving ground. Jason whirled under the dark lord's outstretched arm and thrust his golden blade back and up, through the evil being's torso.

Zack gasped at the sight of Paladin's blade piercing So'Vran's body, the hilt clearly visible on one side, the point on the other. We've won, he thought. My God, we've won. And then So'Vran began to laugh.

Without warning, Jason went to his knees. "That's right, boy," So'Vran purred. "You feel it now, don't you? You feel my touch. I will take all that you are, boy. I will take, and take, until you are drained, devoid, nothing. And Paladin will be destroyed." Jason groaned inarticulately and fell forward, scrabbling at the floor. "The pendulum of balance will be forever swung to me."  


"NOT WHILE I LIVE!" cried a silver streak as Taia flung herself toward her brother. 

"Heard that!" shouted Zack, jumping to his feet and firing for all he was worth. Next to him Kim and Kat shot repeatedly at the creature who held their friend in his thrall. Behind him Zack could hear the crackle of energy and he dodged to the side to allow Tommy and a very angry Aji to fling a huge burst of light and shadow at their enemy, followed narrowly by a fusillade of bronze energy spikes. So'Vran was driven away from his quarry long enough for Taia to bring her brother to the relative safety of the niche.

Zack fell back and buttonholed Billy. "We need a plan, now. You had an idea. What was it?"

"I need to help Jase," said Billy, refusing to meet his friend's gaze. 

"Billy." Gone was Zack's usual jovial tone. "We're going to die. All of us, right here, right now, if we don't come up with something. I know you thought of something, Bill, I can read you like a book. And I know you're not telling me because you don't like the idea. But I am telling you, man, it's all we got."

There was a pause, then Billy shook his head. "Look, it's just a theory."

"And you are the master theoretician. Give."

"Zack, it's incredibly risky, and I have no idea whether it would even work."

A blast from a disruptor got past Taia's shield, showering the all with debris. Zack ducked. "Listen. Bill, it's incredibly risky just standing here. What do you have?"

Billy sighed. "When Rocky mentioned putting the powers together, like the Megazord, I just thought – what if we could? We can't beat So'Vran severally, that much is clear. But if there was a vessel that could house all the powers, someone who wasn't attuned to any one in particular, and if we could somehow make the transfer…"

Kim broke in. "Jason's father transferred power to him."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Man, what do you have, ears in the back of your head? This is a private conversation."

"Huh." Kim snorted. "You think I can't tell when you guys are up to something?"

Billy shook his head. "We're up to nothing, Kim. I told Zack, it's too dangerous. We have no way of knowing how such an influx of power would affect the individual involved, and that's if it's even possible."

"Let's find out," said Zack, holding up his hands. "Juice me up."

"Zack—" Billy began to protest, but Kim cut him off.

"Who says it's you? I'll do it."

"No for you, baby girl. You're the least expendable person here. Now me," Zack grinned, "I got nothing on my dance card right now, so if it all goes south… well, I am the Zack-man. I am the most. Just now, that means I am the most expendable."

Kim punched him in the shoulder. "What happened to 'nobody is expendable'?"

He spread his hands wide. "I lied?" Zack clapped his hands lightly. "Listen up guys, we got a plan."

"No we don't," Billy tried, but Zack ignored him.

"Good, 'cause we definitely need one," said Tommy. "We're getting fried here. What is it?"

Zack nodded. "You five combine all your powers into me, I take care of So'Vran."

There was silence. "Umm, this is the plan?" Jason's voice was both weak and dubious.

"Did this come out of that Megazord comment I made?" Rocky was incredulous.

"Look, it was just an idea I had," Billy broke in. "It's a bad idea. Forget it."

Just then Taia yelped as she took a disruptor hit and her shields flickered.

"Yeah," said Zack, "but it's our only idea." Still they hesitated; finally Zack got angry. "Are you going to let him win without trying everything we can think of? Don't you people want a future? Tanya, what do you say?" He knew what she'd say. That was why he asked her first.

Sure enough, maternal instinct kicked in. "I say we go for it," said Yellow Zeo.

After some minor debate and another hard hit on Taia, the rest agreed. 

Billy frowned. "We need to do this all at once. We'll need a distraction; any ideas?"

Aji held something out: a small device, similar to the remote Zack used to control his hoverskid. "This might be what we need," she said, her voice small.

Billy plucked it from her hand. "Where did you get this?"

"I – from my father. I think it's either a detonator or a trap." Aji looked away. "I'm not willing to say which, though."

They looked at each other; once again, Tanya took the point position. "In for a penny, in for a pound," she said, and hit the control.

They stared at each other, holding their collective breath… and a far off rumble answered them. So'Vran jerked around to stare at a console behind him as alarms went off in a distant part of the palace. Another rumble, more alarms. The attack on the niche abated abruptly.

"Thank you, Frid Resgro," murmured Jason. "We don't know how long the distraction will last, though, guys. Let's get to it."

The five surrounded Zack. "Are you sure?" Billy asked one last time.

"I'm sure," was all Zack said, before the power transfer began.

It was almost as though the power sought him, he thought. It leapt from the five; he could almost see it hurtling through the air, eager to get to him, to fill him. He would have laughed, if he could have moved.

*************

Zack's body went rigid, his head thrown back, his neck corded. His eyes rolled back in his head. "Guys?" Trini tried, but the five were equally frozen in place. The Rangers looked at each other. "I have a really bad feeling about this," Trini said slowly.

Zack started to shake convulsively, as though in a seizure. "Oh, God," cried Kat. "Zack? Zack!"

**************

__

Too much, he thought. _How do I tell them it's too much? I need – I need – _

__

Balance.

*************

As though waking from a dream, Jason shook his head. The power of Paladin was gone. He glanced around the circle; it was clear the others were experiencing the same feelings of disorientation and loss… and then he saw Zack. He skidded to the floor next to his old friend's head. The dark eyes had gone white and sightless, the chest no longer moved with breath. The chocolate brown skin was gray and slack. 

"Zack?" His deep voice was gentle as Jason cradled Zack's head in his lap.

"Is he dying?" someone asked.

"He's dead," said someone else.

Gently Jason laid his friend's head down, getting to his feet. He stared at the others. "My God, what have we done?"

Blue energy crackled over the still body of the ex-Black Ranger. And then, shockingly, Zack's lips moved, but the voice that came forth wasn't Zack's at all. It was more like a whispered chorus, like the wind rustling through tall trees. 

"Balance."

**************

Balance. The word resonated through Kim's mind. 

Male, female.

Most expendable… least expendable. 

Balance.

__

There are times in each life when we are granted the gift of a sure and certain clarity…

The voice Kim heard echoing through her mind was her own, the words remembered as they'd wafted on a hot Angel Grove breeze on the morning of Tommy's funeral. Strange. 

__

…when the things that truly matter stand in stark contrast to the rest of the world, and the things that don't simply fall away.

She glanced around the circle of the people she loved best. There it was, that sure and certain clarity. These were what mattered. Her world telescoped, memories and emotions in crystalline focus. She saw herself as a child, swinging high on the swings with Billy and Trini; at her first school dance, when she and Zack had cleared the dance floor. Meeting Jason for the first time. And Tommy… Tommy. Their first kiss, down by the lake. The way he always used to say 'man' or 'awesome'. The day she'd seen forever in his hazel eyes.

Kim took a step forward.

What was it Trini was always saying? Oh yes. The measure of courage isn't fearlessness, it's the ability to act in the face of fear. 

She took another step.

God, when Tommy looked at her like that she could feel it right through skin and flesh and bone. Did he know? How could he not? She took a deep and shuddering breath. _Don't, don't look at me. Not like that. Not now._

Kim looked wildly about for understanding and found it where it had always been: Billy. He stared back at her, a frown in his blue eyes. She almost laughed; she could read him so well. He was bewildered, looking between her and Zack… and the moment he realized… she could almost taste his pain, it was so palpable. Hurt chased dismay over his handsome face, and then grim acceptance, with that characteristic upward tilt of the chin. But behind all that was the face of the boy who'd been her oldest friend, not quite willing to believe the pain he knew he was about to face.

__

I have to. I must. Make them understand.

Another step… the last. From the corner of her eye she saw Tommy launch himself forward, his hands reaching for her. Billy caught him, held him back, closing his eyes against the next moment of their lives. Jason was yelling something, but she couldn't hear what… Trini… Trini looked disbelieving; horrified.

__

Please. You have to understand.

Zack's hand was before her, still crackling with blue light. Slowly Kim reached forward, lacing her fingers through his, holding on tight.

Maelstrom. 

Euphoria.

Buffeted by joy, reality for Kim receded into a foggy backdrop against which the bright colors of her bright, brief future stood in sharp relief. A figure was there, his outline clean against the whirling colors, and she ran toward him.

"You ready to do this, baby girl?"

"Zack." She smiled up at him and then back at the others, taking a last look at the people she loved best. He did the same, returning her smile. "I'm ready."

In answer he opened his arms. Kim stepped into his embrace and held him close, their shared love for their friends binding them together into eternity.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be waaaay nicer to them than this.

Coming down the home stretch. Thanks to all of you for hanging in with me.

Legacy, part 32

All for nothing.

Seconds ago, Kim's lifeless body had joined Zack's on the floor, and the pain at this loss was exquisite. Sharp, cold, piercing – like a shard of glass straight through the heart. More so for Billy, because when it came down to it, they'd died because of him. It was his idea to force the Xeryan powers into Zack. It was he who had prevented Tommy from saving Kim. All for nothing.

God, if he could take it back, could have just five seconds back…

From the control center behind them, Billy could hear So'Vran's fury. "Find me that whelp of Resgro's!" the dark tyrant was shouting hoarsely. "I will flay the skin from her body and her lover shall watch as I devour her soul!"

They stared at each other, the same question on all of their faces: now what?

From the floor came a whisper of something. Billy glanced sharply down at his old friends' bodies. They were still, empty of the lives that had meant so much and been sacrificed so needlessly.

But there was that whisper again.

Maybe he was crazy. Nobody else seemed to hear it. And then Jason said, "What's that?"

A tendril of – smoke? – steam? – mist? – something ethereal wafted from between Zack and Kim, sparking deep blue.

And then the two began to meld, their bodies fusing together, becoming a formless mass, crackling with energy. The Rangers stepped back, huddled together, staring at this new horror. Blue sparks and whirling light obscured what was happening for a few seconds.

Abruptly it stopped with a soft hiss, and where Zack and Kim had lain dead was a single being, created, for all Billy could tell, from infinity. Formed completely of contained energy, it sat, crouched in a fetal position with its head tucked into its knees, looking like nothing so much as a patch of deep space weirdly transplanted to So'Vran's palace: blue-black and filled with stars.

The creature lifted its head, then got to its feet slowly, unfolding limbs that were easily twice as long as any normal human, and when it stood it towered over them. Slim, lean, beautifully proportioned, yet there were no secondary sex characteristics at all; it was neither male nor female, though its shape was definitely humanoid. It turned its face to the frightened Rangers; Billy presumed it was looking at them, though it was hard to tell.

"No fear," it said in a chorus of voices. With that simple edict it turned and walked gracefully toward the control room.

They all crowded out of the niche behind it to watch what would happen.

So'Vran whirled, his face a mask of fury; but when he saw the creature, the fury turned to cold fear. "No," he whispered.

"It is time," said the Infinity being. "You must return. Balance must be restored."

"NO!" he shrieked in protest, backing away, all but cowering.

The huge being tilted its head inquisitively. "You have attempted to destroy the balance of order," it said in its eerie vocal chorus. "This cannot be allowed. You are aware of this. Why do you fight that which must occur?"

"I shall not return," So'Vran said defiantly, though his voice was shaking. He grabbed a disruptor from a nearby soldier and emptied it at the Infinity creature, but it was like shooting into space. The blasts simply disappeared into the starfield.

The creature shook its head. "You shall. Now." With that it reached for him.

The evil tyrant screamed in fear and fury as the Infinity being grasped him firmly around the upper arms and lifted him into the air.

So'Vran… cracked. His countenance spiderwebbed with a thousand hairline fissures, the shell that was his body finally giving way under the strain. Between the cracks oozed dark and viscous energy, which shot minute tendrils into the air above him, quickly absorbed by the creature that held him aloft. And then, like ash dropping from the spent end of a cigarette, So'Vran disintegrated and was absorbed into Infinity.

The palace began to shake violently. The creature turned to face the Rangers. "Run," it said.

"No… no! NO!" Tommy lunged for the being that had been Kim and Zack again, Jason narrowly catching him around the waist.

"Tom! We gotta go!" He waved the others ahead of him as he wrestled with his friend. Billy stayed behind to help.

"Tommy! Come ON!" The floor shook and the trio staggered into the wall, hard, burdened by Tommy's weight. Billy shoved the distraught man ahead of him, past caring what direction they were going in as long as it was outside. They ran as best they could, weaving and stumbling as the palace shook violently, like a rat held in a terrier's jaw. A chunk of wall crashed to the floor in front of them, revealing the turmoil without: the sky had gone opaque, the wind had picked up, spiraling around the palace, which appeared to be at the eye of the gathering storm. 

Another crash of nearby wall and Billy felt something pierce his thigh. He looked down to see a metal rod sticking straight through his leg. Jason turned at the cry Billy couldn't quite suppress and started toward him. "Get out of here!" yelled Billy above the din of the maelstrom. "I'll be fine! Just go!"

Jason hesitated. The palace began to crumble. "GO!" Billy shouted, and Jason finally did, heaving Tommy up and over the debris and out of sight.

Billy found a sharp shard of stone and used it to tear free the sleeves of his suit, intending to use them for bandages. He gritted his teeth and with a mighty heave pulled the rod free from his thigh, mentally reciting calculus equations to prevent himself from fainting. The wound was bleeding freely; he let it go for a moment to clean itself out a bit, then tied the sleeves of his uniform securely around his leg.

A chunk of the palace floor fell away nearby, and Billy dragged himself to the hole, peering in. Not too bad a drop, he decided, and rolled into it, landing on stone, jarring every bone he had. He winced harshly and got to his feet. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing, he mused as he staggered painfully toward the open courtyard.

A strong shoulder slipped under his arm. "Didn't think I was going to leave you there, did you?" said Jason, hollering to be heard over the storm.

"Where's Tommy?" shouted Billy.

"Outside the walls. Come on."

Together they staggered out of the Citadel, dodging flying debris. Jason shielded Billy with his own body more than once, grunting as chunks of rock rebounded off his muscular frame. Jason pulled his friend bodily through a chink in the Citadel wall, reeling slightly as the very ground rumbled and shook.

"What's happening?" he shouted.

"I don't know," cried Billy, "but it can't be good. Where are the others?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't seen anyone since we scattered." A whining howl came from above; both men looked up to see a roiling hole in the sky, surrounded by writhing black clouds. Jason uttered a succinct curse and hauled Billy over his shoulder completely, running.

They found Tommy under a small bluff, protected from the brunt of the storm. Together the three men stared back at the black crags of the Citadel, lit occasionally by forks of lightning, as it crumbled to the ground. And then, unbelievably, the sands of the desert opened and swallowed the city whole, to the accompanying sound of Tommy's heartbroken roar.

***********

Aji stared in horrified disbelief as the Citadel sank below the desert sands. Trini whirled at the other woman's gasp, in time to see the last dark spire disappear. Tanya, who was helping Adam along, cried out, while her husband simply stared, dumfounded.

A fierce, hot wind blew past them, robbing them of breath, whipping their clothes and hair. Then from where the palace had stood, a bright ring of power exploded outward, knocking them to the ground as it hurtled past.

"Everyone okay?" Trini pulled Aji to her feet. "I don't believe any of this," she added with a deep sigh. 

"It's just – gone," added Tanya sadly. "And Zack and Kim…"

"Ah, don't," said Trini, her face crumpling. "Don't. I can't – there are things we have to focus on now. I can't face this…" Aji put her arms around Red Zeo, and Trini broke down completely.

"They have saved us all," Aji said gently, her own voice unsteady as she blinked back tears. "It was what they intended. Grieve, but know that their deaths have given us a free world."

Tanya began to cry, and Adam folded her close. "Adam?" she sniffed after a while.

"Mmm?"

"Can we name the baby Zack? Or Kim?"

Adam dashed away his own tears. "Wouldn't think of anything else."

The steady hum of a hoverskid caught their attention, and the four looked skyward to see Deorth land a short distance away. He jumped from the craft and ran to Trini, hugging her tight, checking her over to see that she was all right. Red Zeo was doing the same, when Aji noticed something tucked in Deorth's belt. "Oh," she said. "Oh, no."

"What—?" Trini looked down, and lightly touched the long blond braid that was looped at his waist. "What's this?"

Deorth's lips tightened, and Aji answered for him. "Medja. It's Medja's. She has fallen." The redhead's shoulders slumped and she turned away. "So much death," she sighed, stifling a sob. "So much loss. Damn So'Vran for bringing us to this." She turned to Deorth when he asked her if she would be coming in the hoverskid with them. "No. I need Jason."

************

"Kim…" it was a broken whisper that came from Tommy's lips as they looked back at where the Citadel had stood in cruel majesty. There was nothing. Not a crater, not a depression, not a scorch mark, nothing, as though it had never been. Jason's dark eyes were so full of tears he couldn't prevent them from tracking down his face.

Tommy sank to his knees slowly. All the life was gone from his face, the muscles slack and flat, his eyes clouded and unfocused. And then he swung around, looking at each of them, and finding his quarry: Billy, who flinched back at the look of sheer hatred in his old friend's bloodshot gaze.

"You," Tommy snarled, getting to his feet purposefully, aggression in every line of his body. 

Jason grasped his friend's shoulder to slow him down. Shockingly, Tommy straight-armed him to the ground. Jason hit the rocky sand much harder than usual, exhausted and unprepared as he was. 

Billy backed up a few steps. "I won't fight you, Tommy."

"Good." Tommy nodded coldly. "It'll be that much easier for me to KILL YOU!" He put a shoulder down and ran at the stunned scientist, knocking him back and ramming them both into a boulder, winding Billy, who slid to the ground with a cry of pain, his leg bleeding again.

Jason ran forward, picking Tommy up bodily and throwing him away from his victim. "Stop this, Tom! This is crazy!"

"You'll have to kill me to stop me," Tommy panted. "He knew they would die, Jase. Ask him. He knew, and he let it happen."

Billy wiped fresh blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his wrist. "Kim knew too," he croaked. "She chose it, Tommy. They both did. And if it could have been me – "

"Bullshit." Tommy feinted left, then dodged right around Jason in a horrible parody of their usual horseplay, adding a lethal touch by snapping out a kick to put Jason in the dirt. The former Gold Ranger heard his knee blow out before he felt it, the pain washing over him in waves of nausea.

Tommy swung his terrible regard back toward Billy, who lifted his chin. "It won't bring her back, Tom." In answer Tommy launched himself at his old friend, Billy catching him in midair. They went to the ground, hard, grappling, struggling with each other. 

Jason roared in frustration as his knee refused to bear his weight. "Tommy! Tom! STOP! YOU'LL KILL HIM!"

Out of nowhere came a snarling growl and a flame-headed blur who flung herself at Tommy, tackling him around the midsection. They rolled, grunting, hitting, clawing at one another. Jason finally struggled to his feet, his expression thunderous.

Aji got the upper hand and sat on Tommy's chest, her hands around his throat. "YOU SHALL NOT!" she cried, thumping his head against the ground. 

Jason limped over and scooped her up with an arm around her waist. "Easy, Aj." She struggled for a moment, then stopped abruptly when she heard her lover's grunt of pain.

"No more," she hissed at a dazed Tommy. "No more death, no more loss. NO MORE!" Jason put her down, and she crossed to Tommy, pulling him harshly to his feet. "This is the value you place upon their sacrifice?" Aji poked him in the chest, hard. "This is how you would repay them? With more death?" She gave a brusque growl of frustration. "So'Vran himself began with a single murder, Tom. Never love the dead more than you love the living."

He stared at that, hollow-eyed and slack-jawed. Billy approached him tentatively, placing an arm around Tommy's rounded shoulders. "I swear, Tom, if there was any way I could have taken her place, I would have."

Tommy sobbed once, the sound dry and raw. "I know. I know. Oh, God, Bill, I'm sorry…" Jason sighed deeply in relief as Billy pulled Tommy into a hard hug. A hug that the thoroughly wrung-out ex-Shadow returned, gripping his friend tightly. "It should have been me. It should have been me…"

There was a rumble, as though from a distant shore, and Jason turned toward the source: the place where the Citadel had been. He saw nothing but a distant heat wave, shimmering above the sand. The wind had picked up and a dust cloud rolled toward them, close to the ground. The sound grew louder. 

Without warning all four were thrown into the dirt again as an unseen force whined and whistled about them, buffeting them, sending sand and dirt into the air. Then as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

"This damn planet," spat Tommy around a mouthful of dirt.

Aji, for her part, was staring at the ground. "What is it?" Jason got up gingerly… and realized his care was completely unnecessary. His knee was fine.

Billy made a sound strangely like an 'eep'. Jason shot him a glance, and his suspicions were confirmed as the brilliant young man unwrapped his leg to find perfectly whole, unblemished skin beneath the makeshift bandages. 

He turned his attention back to Aji. She reached out a shaking hand to caress a bright green sprout that had unfurled at her feet. Jason frowned. "What the – ?" He looked around. Sure enough, tiny green shoots were poking through the arid sand everywhere.

Billy got to his feet, his brow furrowed in fascination as the small plants burst into life, like a nature film with stop-action photography. Then he jumped as a taller plant erupted from the ground beside him, as big around as his wrist with large, flat, shiny leaves. Another shrub exploded into full bloom near Tommy, who leapt away as though burned.

"What – ?" Billy never finished his thought as a stand of saplings surrounded him. "Come on." He fought his way free of the encroaching undergrowth and clambered up a large, flat stone, the other three following him. "The worst we'll see here is moss."

They stared in stunned silence as the planet came to life around them. Trees, full blown, exploded from the ground with the sound of cannonfire. Flowers snapped into being, their heads nodding from the sudden strain. A green and verdant carpet spread over the landscape like spilled milk.

Aji touched Jason's arm gently, pointing. Her eyes were round. "Do you see that?" she whispered. He followed her gaze. On the ground before them grew a group of white mushrooms.

In the shape of an arrow.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I'd be waaaay richer than this.

Special thanks and lots of love to Rach, who valiantly subjected herself to my efforts as they were a-borning. Anything you guys liked, it's purely due to her willingness to keep me going and keep me in line. And a big wahoo to Carrie for letting me bounce feeble plots off her until they were strong enough to stand on their own. Dagmar, ScarletDeva, Cheryl, TK Styles, and all the rest of you who IM'd and emailed me through this: my gratitude knows no bounds. Thanks.

Legacy, part 33

"Is it me, or did everything just take a left turn into surreal?" Rocky asked. He shot Taia a look as if to say 'it's your planet'. Kat poked at the ground with a toe, where a formation of mushrooms grew that looked oddly like an arrow pointing into the forest.

Taia shrugged. "I have no explanation. Couldn't it be a natural formation?" As though in answer another mushroom arrow sprang into being immediately in front of the first.

Kat and Rocky stared at each other. "I would guess that means no," said Kat, rubbing her nose.

"Do we go?" Rocky asked, slipping an arm around his girlfriend.

She sighed and shook her head sadly. "Why not? After everything that's happened, how much worse could it get?"

************

Tommy, Billy, Jason and Aji came into a large, green clearing, surrounded by impossibly tall trees that filtered the light of the early dawn. Dew hung heavy on the leaves and in the ankle-high grass. Atop a small knoll in the center of the clearing was a table, laden with food, and behind it sat a small, robed figure.

"Thought so," said Tommy woodenly as the figure came forward to greet them. "I suppose you felt this was more subtle than a flash flood."

Billy's blue eyes narrowed. So this was the Watcher. Aji and Tom had described him well. He was deceptively graceful for one so obviously ancient, his bald pate shining, his mismatched eyes sparkling. His hands extended, clawlike, from the voluminous sleeves of his black and white robe in a gesture of welcome. "Come," he said rustily, a happy grin on his wrinkled face. "Refresh yourselves while we wait."

They looked at each other uncertainly. Tommy shook his head. "No thanks. Not hungry."

The Watcher looked from one to the other of them, clearly disappointed. "Ah," he said. "Perhaps later."

Through the trees came three more figures. Billy met Taia halfway, holding her tight. "I knew you were okay," he murmured into her hair, "but I am damn glad to see you." He gave her a quick kiss, aware of the Watcher's benevolent gaze.

Rocky goggled, looking around. "Shut my mouth and call me Alice," he said slowly. His dark gaze rested on his friends. "Everyone okay?" 

For answer the last four came through the trees, looking just as bemused as the rest. Trini and Deorth were holding hands. Billy was deeply relieved to see Adam walking upright next to his wife, completely healed, presumably, by the same energy wave that had restored Billy's leg. Rocky smiled hugely and crossed to his friend, pulling him and Tanya into a bear hug.

"Here's one thing that's gone right, anyway," Billy heard Rocky say. The brilliant scientist hunched his shoulders, glad his friends could find anything to be glad about in this mess. He felt Taia's fingers creep into his in sympathy as another pang of black remorse washed over him and he fought to hide it, though he couldn't help glancing at Tommy.

Who was looking at him, and who clearly knew what he was thinking. Tommy shook his head, a wry smile twisting his lips, and went forward to join the others surrounding Adam.

"He's right, you know," whispered Taia. "It wasn't your fault. And Adam's return to health is a good thing."

"I know," said Billy. "I do know. I just don't feel it."

"Well now," said the Watcher, gaining their attention, briskly rubbing his gnarled hands together, "as we are all here – " He left off there and began to count them, a frown creasing his forehead. "A moment," he said, "there are two missing." He snapped his fingers and two surprised people popped into being.

Peter and Iannos stared about themselves in abject astonishment. 

"S – son?" Peter began, as Jason and Taia embraced their father. "How –? What just happened?" The older man scanned the group, then returned to Billy. "Where are – "

"Dead," his son replied flatly. 

"Zack and Kim gave their lives to save us all," interposed Taia gently. "All Xerya owes them a debt that can never be repaid."

Peter's expression was disbelieving; then it crumpled into a mask of sorrow. "My God, I've known them both since they were kids," he said harshly, wiping his eyes. Iannos put a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Many have died today, P'Tyr," he reminded him softly. "Xerya has many heroes this day." Peter nodded, not speaking.

The brawny former Paladin crossed to Aji, lifting her chin. "You are well, little one?"

"Bowed by sorrow, Pahpian, but well enough." 

"I am relieved to hear it." Iannos cleared his throat and looked at his son. "But what happened? The battle raged, and then without warning So'Vran's warships fell from the sky."

Jason tugged Aji close. "Frid Resgro happened, Father." Iannos stared. "Aji saw him, at the palace. Everything he did, everything we thought he did, was all to get into So'Vran's inner circle, to sabotage him from inside. If it hadn't been for him, I doubt we'd have survived."

"Ah." Iannos digested that for a moment, then smiled sadly. "I am glad to know I had not misjudged him after all." He kissed Aji on the cheek. "And how did P'Tyr and I come here?"

The Watcher clapped his hands together, causing his sleeves to billow uncontrollably. "It was my privilege to bring you here, Iannos K'Vlir, P'Tyr Krann. You may call me the Watcher." He laced his fingers together over his stomach. "It falls to me to give the epilogue to this adventure of a thousand years," he continued pompously. 

"But is he really gone?" burst out Kat. "We've lost so much. Is So'Vran truly gone?"

He blinked at her owlishly. "Please, all of you, sit. Refresh yourselves, if you wish, or do not; and I will begin my discourse." The little Watcher waited until everyone had arranged themselves around the groaning table and took his place at the head, beaming benevolently. "Now, to answer you, my dear. Is So'Vran truly gone?" He raised his hands, palms up. "The being that created So'Vran has returned to the fold of those whom I serve, to receive justice there for his crimes against them and against you. The vessel he inhabited died many centuries ago, and has been destroyed."

"You have succeeded, my friends, in ending So'Vran's reign of destruction, in restoring balance and harmony to Xerya after centuries of torment and death. The cost was great," the Watcher glanced at Tommy, not unsympathetically, "but the reward greater still."

"And all this," Tanya gestured to the lush vegetation surrounding them. "Is this what Xerya was supposed to be, until So'Vran got his hands on it?"

"Excellent!" The Watcher all but patted the chocolate-skinned beauty on the head. "Balance has returned; Xerya is as she should be. All that is required now is careful stewardship."

"That healing wave," Billy ventured to ask, "was that the return of balance as well?"

The Watcher grew grave. "No. That was a surprise to me, a last gift from your valiant friends." Silence descended on the group, lasting until the Watcher got to his feet and folded his hands into his sleeves. "And now I must go, and bid you all farewell."

Aji frowned at him. "That sounds final."

The little man smiled sadly. "My masters seek to sever all ties with this plane; of which, unfortunately, I am one. So the Watcher will cease to watch." He sighed. "But I shall miss you. I should have liked to see what came from all this." The Watcher stepped to the top of the knoll, settling his robes around him with a finicky gesture. "I am sorry I did not have the opportunity to meet your friends Zachary and Kimberly. They were indeed heroes, sacrificing themselves for love of their friends. And such sacrifice deserves its own reward. Be well, my friends." With that the little man faded from view, leaving sparkling air in his wake.

Abruptly his head reappeared. "One last piece of advice, my friends. Always return what you borrow." And with an audible pop, he was gone.

Rocky scratched his head. "Oooooookaaaaay."

The sparkles left behind him still hung in the air, darting about like tiny fireflies. "What are these?" Tanya asked as several swirled about her head and body. 

Adam got the same treatment. A group of the tiny lights hovered at his chest, then darted away to weave through Trini's hair and around Kat's head and shoulders. 

Pink Zeo smiled, running her fingers through the cluster of glowing pinpoints. "They don't hurt," she said softly.

They seemed to multiply, as well, surrounding Tommy, his hair flying as the sparks caused a minor whirlwind. He simply stood woodenly, waiting until they moved on. 

Billy was caught in the center of a small tornado as they wound their way over him; for his part, he tried not to flinch. It was clear these weren't incendiary, but who knew what they could be?

Each of them received some small attention from the tiny lights before they wound their way back to the top of the knoll, hanging there, almost expectantly.

Billy watched them and realized he was chewing on a piece of cheese. Glancing down, he discovered he was slowly working his way through a plate of food without knowing it. Moreover, they were all eating, even Tommy. Which was something of a surprise, given that they'd all felt too stricken to eat only moments before.

He took mental inventory, and realized… he felt better. And immediately felt swamped in guilt for it. Billy pushed the plate away.

Up on the knoll, the tiny lights had multiplied further, a veritable cloud of glowing points, swirling and weaving. Billy thought he could discern two distinct groups, though they were pretty closely meshed. And then they separated farther, and he was sure. Definitely two distinct groups.

Faster they spun, darting around and around, a pair of shapes emerging.

Suddenly, the clearing in which they sat erupted in mirth. Two voices, laughing together, one pitched low and hearty, the other higher. Tommy leapt to his feet, galvanized. Billy, Trini and Jason did the same.

Legs, arms, torsos emerged from the whirl of light; finally faces, the faces they were waiting for. The pinpoints of light dropped away, leaving two figures standing on the knoll. The Rangers sat, staring, frozen in place.

"Well, this is a hell of an anticlimax," said Zack with a grin. Kim, next to him, chuckled.

Pandemonium ensued. Trini, Kat, Tanya and Aji dove at Zack, who spread his arms wide and hugged them all. "Yeah, uh huh, that's right. You missed me, I know. What is life without the Zack-man?" Jason, Rocky, Deorth, and Adam stood around pounding each other on the back delightedly.

Trini punched him in the arm. "Don't you EVER do anything like that again, Superman, or I will kill you myself!"

Billy, for his part, merely turned and buried his face in Taia's neck with a broken "Thank God." 

After a while he heard Zack announce in a disgusted tone of voice, "Oh, geez, look at 'em. This is what I had to put up with, the whole time we were together: 'Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.'" He put on a falsetto voice, pretending to imitate Kim. " 'Oh, I love Tommy. Oh, he's so wonderful.' Cripes, get a room, you guys!" Billy chuckled and wiped his eyes, looking around. 

A baleful brown eye was peeking out from the other side of Tommy, staring at Zack. Kim pulled her mouth away from Tommy's. "Oh, right, like the inside of your mind is so pure!" She grabbed a piece of unrecognizable fruit from the table and lobbed it at Zack, who ducked.

"Food fight!" hollered the irrepressible Rocky, winging what looked like a deep-fried baby grat'lest at Jason. His target laughed and returned the favor in kind with a spoonful of greenish custard. Mayhem ensued. Even Peter and Iannos got into it, surprising their younger counterparts with a spirited, whipped-goo pie offense.

Billy stood apart, not yet willing to forget his part in their sorrow, his arm looped loosely around Taia's waist. A small, food-covered person came up to him. He looked down at her gravely.

"Thanks," Kim said.

"For letting you die?"

"For trusting me, and loving me enough to let me go."

He quirked half a smile. "Won't do it twice, you know."

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Won't ask you to."

"In that case…" Billy scooped up a big handful of something gelatinous and glopped it on her head. "I missed you. Uh oh," he added as Kim grabbed a plateful of bluish brownie-like things, fire in her eye. Billy dove under the table, laughing, as he was pelted with unidentifiable foodstuffs.

**************

"Are you sure, Trini?" A week had passed since So'Vran's defeat. The huge silver pod was ready and waiting to return to Earth. The only catch was, not everyone was going.

Trini chuckled and hugged Kim again. "Yes, I'm sure, for the hundredth time. Deorth wants to start a school, to train Rangers and others in the ways of the ethrull. There's a lot I can teach them too, and a lot I want to learn. Besides, we belong together."

Kim sighed. "I know, but I'm going to miss you something awful."

"Oh, I'll be there for the wedding, don't you worry." Trini grinned and turned to Tanya. "And as soon as we can when my little nephew or niece there makes an appearance." She embraced the Yellow Zeo Ranger, then someone caught her attention. "There's Jason. Excuse me, you guys; I have something to give him."

***********

Jason was flabbergasted. "Are you sure? What about Tommy?"

"Tommy has other plans. Come on, Jase, you never should have given it up, and you know it." Trini held out the Red Zeonizers, and after a pause, Jason took them with a grin. Trini nodded, satisfied. "Now that's the way things ought to be." 

**********

"Aji?"

The redhead looked up from where she was stowing her bag in the pod's hold. "Hi, Tanya. Need a hand?"

"Yeah." Tanya smiled. "Would you carry these for me for a while?" She dropped the Yellow Zeonizers into Aji's outstretched hand.

Aji stared at her, bewildered. "I don't understand."

Tanya shrugged. "I need to give it up sooner or later, with the baby coming and all. I just figured sooner was better, especially after all this."

"But – Kim?"

"Just wants to get married and have a normal life. And I can't say I blame her." Tanya fisted her hands on her hips. "So. You game?"

Aji gave her a brilliant smile. "Yep."

***********

"We're going to miss you back home, Zordon. You too, Alpha." Adam patted the little robot on the transistor. "What did you say the new mentor's name was?"

"Dimitria of Inquiris, Adam. And Alpha and I will miss you as well." The Eltaran looked benevolently down from his new time warp tube, freshly installed in the science bay of the old rebel base. "But Eltar has a vested interest in Xerya, and I have been appointed to represent Eltar on the new governmental Council. With Iannos at the head, and P'Tyr by his side, I have little fear that Xerya will become a force for good in the universe. But at the moment she is still finding her place." His attention shifted to the new arrivals in the bay. "And with the two of you representing her as ambassadors, Xerya's future is bright indeed."

"Thanks, man," said Zack, preening in his new uniform. 

Taia, by his side and similarly dressed, nodded, then turned to Adam. "I came to find you, Adam. Billy wanted to show you his new facilities before you go."

"Oh, okay. Take care, Zordon, Alpha."

"You as well, Adam. May the power protect you."

The door to the bay swished open to admit yet another familiar face. "Hey, Bulk," said Adam with a smile. "You gonna be okay out here?"

The former bully grinned happily. "Are you kidding? This is the adventure of a lifetime! Safe trip, okay guys?" They shook hands, and Bulk bustled off.

************

Kat looked out the porthole of the pod. "I hate goodbyes."

Rocky joined her, sliding his arms around her waist. "I know what you mean. But it's not forever."

"I hope not," she agreed.

Jason and Aji, Adam and Tanya, Tommy and Kim came into the cabin. "You guys ready to go home?"

Together they looked out of the porthole at the beloved faces in the launch bay below. Deorth and Trini; Billy and Taia and their fathers; Zack, Bulk, Alpha and even Zordon, brought there courtesy of a vidscreen.

"Yeah," said Rocky finally, and the others nodded. "Yeah, home sounds pretty good."

*************************************************

Well, that's it. Thanks to all of you who came for the ride.


End file.
